Kolkata: West Bengal recorded an unprecedented turnout in the first phase of its Assembly elections, with the Election Commission (EC) putting polling at 92.88%. The surge has triggered debate over whether the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls played a decisive role.
The EC had carried out the SIR exercise last year, during which about 90 lakh names—such as duplicate entries and deceased voters—were removed. Despite objections from the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), the revision went ahead, reducing the state’s voter count from 7.6 crore to 6.8 crore.
Polling for 152 of the 294 seats was held on April 23, with the remaining 142 constituencies scheduled to vote on April 29. The highest turnout was reported in Cooch Behar (95.5%) and Dakshin Dinajpur (95.36%). In comparison, the 2021 Assembly election recorded 82.30% turnout.
Political chatter has framed the high turnout as anti-incumbency and potentially favourable to the BJP, though both the TMC and BJP have claimed it supports their prospects. Observers note there is no consistent evidence that higher turnout automatically benefits either the ruling party or the opposition.
Experts also point to other possible drivers, including heightened voter anxiety about losing voting rights following the SIR process, and a calmer polling environment due to increased deployment of central forces. The EC said no repoll was required at any of the 44,376 booths in the first phase, and expectations remain that the second phase could see similarly high participation. The outcome is set to be known on May 4.
