With West Bengal heading to the all important second and final phase of the Assembly elections on Wednesday, over 3.21 crore voters across 142 constituencies in seven districts of the State will determine the fate of 1,448 candidates. After an intense campaign season, led by the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP in Bengal, all constituencies in Kolkata, Howrah, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Hooghly and Purba Bardhaman in South Bengal, considered the heartland and a major stronghold of the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, are hours away from going to the polls.
In the last Assembly elections held in 2021, Trinamool won 123 of the total 142 seats, while the BJP could only win 18 seats. During the high-voltage election campaign for the second phase, the saffron party’s top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, tried to give a final push to sway voters in South Bengal for a decisive battle with Trinamool Congress.
triangular contests
In some of the key constituencies, there will be strong triangular contests with prominent Congress and Left Front candidates in the fray. Many Trinamool Congress ministers are seeking re-elections in this final phase. Significantly, in the aftermath of the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the State, North 24 Parganas lost over 12.6 lakh names, South 24 Parganas over 10.91 lakh, Kolkata nearly 6.97 lakh, Howrah around six lakh, Hooghly 4.68 lakh and Nadia about 4.85 lakh.
In at least 25 constituencies, deleted names exceed the previous victory margin. While the Trinamool Congress has alleged that the targeted deletions are aimed at minorities and migrants, the BJP has argued that bogus names and illegal infiltration had distorted voters’ list for years.
The first phase of polling on April 23 registered a record voter turnout of 93.19 per cent. The counting for West Bengal will be held on May 4. During the campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi exuded confidence that the BJP would form the next government in the State. “From the mood I have sensed in Bengal, I can say I have to come again for the oath-taking ceremony of the BJP government after May 4,” said Modi.
The first phase of polling on April 23 registered a record voter turnout of 93.19 per cent. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has set an ambitious target of a “double century”, aiming for 200 seats for the Trinamool Congress in this Assembly elections.
After the first phase of polling, Banerjee said the massive voter turnout indicated the TMC was already in a position to win. “From my understanding of people’s mind, we are already in a position to win given the polling held in the first phase,” she added.
Published on April 28, 2026