Voting for the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026 is currently underway amid tight security arrangements across 142 constituencies out of 294. The main fight in West Bengal in the 2026 elections is between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
Bengal Assembly elections 2026: When are election results?
Counting of votes for five states, including West Bengal, is scheduled for 4 May.
The Election Commission of India on 15 March announced the schedule for Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, along with bye-elections in six states.
Bengal Assembly elections 2026: Around 40% polling till 11 am
Nearly 40% of the 3.21 crore electors voted till 11 am of the second phase of polling in West Bengal amid sporadic violence. Tension gripped the Bhabanipur seat briefly as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari took swipes at one another in the same booth area.
Voters queued up from 7 am outside booths in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Bardhaman districts, which form Bengal's electoral and political core.
Of the total electorate eligible to vote in this phase, 1.57 crore are women, and 792 are third-gender.
Till 11 am, West Bengal recorded 39.97% polling with Purba Bardhaman registering the highest turnout at 44.50%, followed by Hooghly at 43.12% and Nadia at 40.34%.
Howrah recorded 39.45% polling, while North 24 Parganas registered 38.43%. Kolkata North and Kolkata South recorded 38.39% and 36.78% turnout, respectively.
South 24 Parganas, a politically crucial district witnessing several high-profile contests, recorded 37.9% voting.
The first phase of polls in 152 Assembly seats of West Bengal on 23 April also recorded more than 41% polling till 11 am.
Bengal Assembly elections 2026: 142 seats up for grabs in second phase
The second phase of the polling is widely seen as the 'litmus test' for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), as voting moves into the party's traditional fortresses in South Bengal and Kolkata.
The second phase covers 142 out of 294 seats in West Bengal. The total electorate is around 3.21 crore, with 1,64,35,627 men, 1,57,37,418 women and 792 transgender voters.1,448 candidates are in the fray, including 220 women at 41,001 polling stations, with over 8,000 managed entirely by women.
While 142 seats are up for grabs, all eyes are on the 'Big Five' urban contests. Apart from the high-stakes seat of Bhabanipur, Tollyganj, the heart of the Bengali film industry, is a high-profile, star-studded battle.
