West Bengal Phase 2 Elections, April 29: What is open, what is closed in Kolkata, rest of Bengal today?

West Bengal Elections 2026: Polling for the second phase of the Assembly elections in West Bengal will begin at 7 AM today, 29 April. Voting will be held across 142 seats of the state today.

The voting today will decide the electoral fate of 1,448 candidates, which includes 1,228 men and 220 women. It shifts the battle decisively to the TMC's home turf — Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Hooghly and Purba Bardhaman.

The first phase on 23 April was held for 152 seats in West Bengal. The results will be declared on May 4, along with the outcome of assembly polls in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Over 3.22 crore voters to vote today at 41,001 polling stations

Over 3.22 crore total voters are eligible to vote today, of which 3.21 crore are general electors and nearly 40,000 are service voters. There are 1.64 crore male electors and 1.57 crore female electors, and 792 have been identified as the third gender, the Election Commission said.

Over 4.12 lakh voters are in the 18-19 age bracket, and over 3,200 voters are 100 years and above. There are over 57,000 voters with disabilities (PWD). The

The Election Commission has set up 41,001 polling stations for the smooth conduct of elections. These include 39,301 main stations and 1700 auxiliary stations.

There are 8,845 all-women-managed stations, 13 PWD-managed stations, and 258 "model" polling stations. There will be webcasting from all 41,001 polling stations.

West Bengal Election today: What's closed today?

Banks: Banks will remain closed in areas where voting is scheduled for today, April 29 as a special election holiday is declared for polling. On the other hand, banks will remain open today in all the areas where polling already took place on April 23.

Government offices: Government offices in the constituencies undergoing polling on April 29 will remain closed.

Schools and colleges: All schools, government and private, in West Bengal will be closed in view of elections on Wednesday, April 29. Similarly, all colleges will also be closed.

West Bengal Election today: What's open today?

Public transport: Public transport, including bus, train, trams and auto rickshaw services, will be available.

Emergency services: Emergency services like hospitals, ambulances, medicine shops, the fire department and others will be open today.

Shops and markets: Shops and malls will remain open today. Shoppers can expect a normal day at markets.

Stock markets: The Indian stock markets – BSE and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) will remain open today.

The crucial 142 seats of phase 2

The 142 seats voting today are considered the incumbent Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s core stronghold spread over south Bengal and the Kolkata district.

In these seats, the BJP is looking to breach the TMC’s South Bengal fort as it looks to outdo its 77-seat tally in the 2021 polls. In 2021, the BJP became the principal Opposition in the state for the first time on the back of a strong performance in north Bengal, which voted in the first phase on 23 April.

The election in West Bengal is largely considered a bipolar fight between the incumbent TMC led by Mamata Banerjee and a resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

(With agency inputs)