West Bengal shattered electoral records with a staggering 91.78 per cent voter turnout in Phase I of the 2026 Assembly elections across 152 constituencies, the highest since Independence- surpassing 2021’s 81.56 per cent and 2011’s data of 84.33 per cent. Districts like Dakshin Dinajpur (94.85%), Cooch Behar (94.54%), Birbhum (93.70%), Jalpaiguri (93.23%) and Murshidabad (92.93%) led the charge.

But what led to such a record voter turnout in the state? Let’s find out.

Massive security overhaul in Bengal

State Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal told ANI that fear-free voting in the state was possible due to strong security arrangements by the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) at sensitive polling booths in areas such as Cooch Behar and Malda. He noted that CAPF personnel fully handled polling station security, allowing people to vote without fear. He also added that this time, webcasting arrangements were completely foolproof. “Security at the polling stations was entirely under the control of the CAPF. People stepped out to cast their votes without any fear. This time, the webcasting was 100 per cent foolproof,” he said.

Special Poll Observer NK Mishra told ANI that efforts were focused on ensuring violence-free elections in West Bengal, which has often seen poll-related violence in the past. He highlighted the role of micro-observers, judicial monitoring, and 19 Supreme Court-mandated tribunals in making the process free, fair, peaceful, and free from intimidation. Of the 27.10 lakh challenged voter deletions, only 139 were restored after review.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar even hailed the voters for their democratic fervour amid minimal violence. “Highest ever percentage of polling in West Bengal since Independence- ECI salutes each voter of West Bengal,” CEC Gyanesh Kumar said.

SIR Impact?

As per a news report in The Indian Express, the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the first since 2002, deleted approximately 91 lakh names from West Bengal’s electoral rolls starting October 2025, slashing the total electorate by 11.63%. This included 58 lakh deletions at the draft stage for reasons like deaths, shifts, duplicates or absences during the November-December enumeration.

Post-adjudication, another 32 lakh names were removed, shrinking the voter base and mathematically boosting turnout percentages. While absolute votes fell 12% (about 47 lakh fewer than in 2021), the purified rolls guaranteed authentic participation from verified electors.

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Since the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) slashed 91 lakh ineligible names from rolls, reducing the electorate by 11.63% while also prompting genuine voters to participate actively to affirm their status.

The Indian Express news report said, the migrant workers returned en masse fearing delisting or citizenship threats amid TMC’s NRC rhetoric, bolstering absolute engagement despite a 12% drop in raw votes from 2021.

In Murshidabad, where SIR deletions hit hardest, migrant labourer Roshan Ali, who works in Chennai, described his arduous return home to vote: “Trains were packed with no tickets available, but we had to come back. I arrived two days ago. Our livelihood hinges on the voter card and staying on the electoral rolls- that’s the first thing they check outside Bengal. Voting ensures our names remain secure.”

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Intense party campaigns- TMC rallying women and minorities against conspiracies, and BJP promising anti-corruption change- further energised first-time voters, youth and women, alongside CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s ‘festival of democracy’ push in a high-stakes contest.