The first round of polling for the assembly election in West Bengal saw voter turnout breaking records with over 92% participation. The next and final round of polls for the assembly election is scheduled to be held on 29th April.
West Bengal is witnessing extremely intense elections at present, wherein the BJP is trying to dethrone the ruling party, TMC, which has been in power for the last 15 years. The initial phase of the assembly election of West Bengal ended on Thursday, setting a record for voter turnout. Despite a significant revision of electoral rolls that saw lakhs of names removed, voters turned out in historic numbers.
Record Voter Turnout
In Phase 1 of the voting, there has been a tremendous spurt in voting, with the turnout going up over the 90% mark at the end of voting. There was a continuous increase in the percentage of voting during the day, starting at about 18% in the morning, then rising to over 40% by afternoon, followed by 78% by evening till it peaked thereafter.
In terms of district-wise figures, the participation was equally impressive, with districts like Dakshin Dinajpur clocking over 95% turnout, and Cooch Behar and Birbhum recording over 93%. It must be noted that these are significantly higher figures compared to the previous benchmarks, including even the 2011 Assembly polls and recent general elections.
The total voting population of West Bengal is around 6.8 crore people, with an equal distribution among genders and youth participation, which is new for many. Though there were some sporadic cases of violence and conflict in certain pockets, authorities had made sure to deploy security personnel on a large scale.
Tight Political Contest
On April 29, 142 constituencies from sectors 77 to 202 and 259 to 274 were included in the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly Election. These constituencies mostly include Kolkata and the surrounding urban belt. Kolkata, the North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, parts of Paschim and Purba Bardhaman, Medinipur, Jhargram, Bankura, and Purulia are some significant constituencies.
Due to the confluence of urban, industrial, and rural vote dynamics, this era is quite significant. The BJP intends to take advantage of the anti-incumbency sentiment, while the TMC is relying on its grassroots organisation. On May 4, all 294 constituencies’ votes will be counted, and the outcome will be declared that evening.
