91% turnout in West Bengal, 84% in Tamil Nadu – The real story is who led the record turnout

Assembly Elections 2026: Record voter turnout was seen in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, with 84.69% and 91.78% participation respectively. Women voted in higher numbers than men in both states. The Election Commission credited outreach efforts and voter-friendly steps, while political parties traded strong reactions as isolated incidents of violence and disruptions were reported.

New Delhi: By the time voting in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal closed on Wednesday (April 23), something unusual had happened. The queues at polling booths were long through the day, turnout kept climbing and by evening both the states crossed numbers never seen before in Assembly elections.

The real story, though, was in those numbers. Women voted in higher numbers than men in both states and nudged turnout to levels that broke records going back decades.

A day that pushed past old limits

According to the Election Commission, phase-1 polling in West Bengal touched 91.78 per cent. Tamil Nadu followed with 84.69 per cent. Both numbers went past earlier highs set in 2011, when Tamil Nadu had recorded 78.29 per cent and West Bengal 84.72 per cent.

Officials said the surge is the result of months of voter outreach and new steps to make voting easier. The effort was visible in the way polling stations functioned, from smoother queues to clearer ballot displays.

Across both states, over 9.33 crore voters were eligible. Managing that meant deploying close to 6 lakh polling staff across 1,19,440 booths. The Election Commission (EC) also kept a close watch through live webcasting from every polling station, with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and his team monitoring the process in real time.

Women lead the turnout surge

The difference in turnout between women and men stood out. In West Bengal, 92.69 per cent of women voted, compared to 90.92 per cent of men. Tamil Nadu had a similar pattern, with 85.76 per cent female turnout against 83.57 per cent for men.

The elections in both states also witnessed good participation of the third-gender community. Tamil Nadu recorded 60.49 per cent turnout, while West Bengal saw 56.79 per cent.

Jubilant election officials said small but practical changes made a difference. Candidate photos on EVM ballot units were clearer. Voter Information Slips were redesigned for easy reading. Each booth handled no more than 1,200 voters to cut waiting time. Facilities such as wheelchairs, volunteers and transport support helped persons with disabilities reach polling stations without hassle.

Beyond the big states

Along with the assembly polls, bye-elections were held in a few constituencies. Gujarat’s Umreth saw 59.03 per cent turnout. In Maharashtra, Baramati recorded 57.48 per cent and Rahuri 55.31 per cent.

Politics finds its message

As the numbers came in, political reactions too followed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the turnout a “storm of change”, saying women and young voters had “opened a front” against the ruling party in Bengal. He said “fear is losing and trust is winning”. He urged first-time voters to push for what he described as change.

He also repeated that “the lotus will bloom everywhere” when votes are counted.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah sharpened the attack and said the turnout was against the “syndicate raj” and the “Bhaipo Tax”. After polling ended, he posted an image of a setting sun, captioning it as “the sun of TMC's corruption and hooliganism has set”.

BJP leader Dilip Ghosh claimed the party would cross 100 seats in the first phase itself.

Tension on the ground

The day also saw pockets of tension. In Murshidabad’s Nowda area, clashes broke out between supporters of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and followers of Humayun Kabir. The groups used sticks, threw stones and damaged vehicles before security forces stepped in.

Kabir accused the police of bias and demanded action against an officer, calling him a “TMC dalal”. TMC leaders responded by accusing him of trying to disrupt polling with “anti-social elements”.

In Asansol, BJP candidate Agnimitra Paul said her car was attacked with a large stone in Rahamatnagar that shattered the rear glass. She said she was safe, though one aide suffered minor injuries.

In Malda’s Mothabari, an EVM malfunction caused brief disruption, with reports of confusion after a sector officer was not immediately available.

Election body sticks to its assessment

Despite these incidents, the EC said the overall process was smooth. Updates were shared in real time through the ECINET platform. International observers visiting polling stations under the Election Visitors’ Programme described the arrangements as “systematic” and “well managed”, highlighting facilities such as crèches, drinking water and health camps.

Tamil Nadu’s parallel contest

In Tamil Nadu, the campaign narrative ran along a different line. Chief Minister MK Stalin cast his vote and asked people to treat voting as a “banner to protect Tamil Nadu”. He stressed democracy and the state’s rights.

Actor-turned-politician Vijay raised concerns about transport issues and said many voters were stranded due to a lack of buses and asked for longer polling hours.

BJP leader K Annamalai said parts of the process had been “vitiated”, while Congress leader Manickam Tagore pointed to high enthusiasm and asked voters to reject underperforming candidates.

The high turnout has set up a close contest. In West Bengal, voting for the last 142 seats will take place on April 29. Counting for both states is scheduled for May 4.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is seeking a fourth term in Bengal. The BJP, which won 77 seats last time, is trying to expand its presence.

In Tamil Nadu, the main contest is between the DMK-led alliance and the NDA led by AIADMK with the BJP and the PMK as partners. Vijay’s TVK is trying to carve out space and turn it into a three-way fight.

At this stage, the numbers from day one have changed the debate. The rest will be decided when the votes are counted.