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Bengal Phase 2 showdown: In 2021, TMC won 123 of 142 seats voting today, BJP just 18
West Bengal Election 2026: Voting is underway across 142 constituencies in the second and final phase today, 29 April. As many as 1,448 candidates are in the fray in today's round of elections in West Bengal.
The voting for 152 seats in the first phase held on 27 April, saw a record 93 per cent voter turnout, the Election Commission of India said.
These 142 seats voting in phase 2 are considered the incumbent Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s core stronghold spread over south Bengal and the Kolkata district.
The election in West Bengal is largely considered a bipolar fight between the incumbent Trinamool Congress(TMC) led by Mamata Banerjee and a resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
TMC won 123 seats in 2021
In 2021, the TMC maintained its hold on these seats and won 123 of the 142 seats voting today. The BJP could only win 18 seats, despite an aggressive campaign. The remaining one seat, Bhangar, was won by the Left’s ally, the Indian Secular Front (ISF).The seats voting today saw 80.7 per cent voter turnout in 2021 assembly polls.
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.
As many as 152 constituencies voted in the first phase of the high-stakes West Bengal elections on 23 April, after a high-octane campaign by all political parties. The 152 seats were spread across 16 districts in north Bengal and parts of south Bengal.
Of the 152 seats that voted in phase 1 on 23 April, the TMC had won 92 seats in the 2021 polls, while the BJP had won 59 seats.
Phase 1 voting in West Bengal recorded a voter turnout of 93.2 per cent in the first phase of polling, a record-breaking figure that has led both the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to claim electoral advantage. The high turnout figures underline an active electoral exercise as polling drew to a close amid tight security arrangements across constituencies.
Many experts, however, attributed the high percentage to massive voter deletion in absolute numbers during the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The results will be declared on 4 May, along with Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Mamata vs Suvendu, other key fights today
The second phase of polling underway today is witnessing several crucial, high-profile contests including Bhabanipur, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is taking on the BJP’s Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari.The seats that vote today cover eight districts, including Kolkata North, Kolkata South, Howrah, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Hooghly and Purba Bardhaman.
Among other key candidates, former Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Das Gupta is the BJP candidate from Rashbehari seat, while actor-politician Rupa Ganguly is contesting from Donarpur Dakshin seat.
Also, Ratna Debnath, the mother of the woman doctor who was raped and murdered in the RG Kar hospital two years ago, is the BJP candidate from Panihati constituency in North 24 Paraganas. Debnath is contesting against TMC MLA Nirmal Ghosh, who has been holding the seat for the most part since 1996.
When will West Bengal exit polls be released?
The Election Commission of India's ban on exit polls will remain in effect until the last vote is cast on Wednesday. This means that the first exit poll results will be released after 6.30 PM today.“The Election Commission under Section 126A of the RP Act 1951, has notified that the conduct of exit poll and dissemination of their results by means of print or electronic media is prohibited between 7:00 AM on 9 April 2026 (Thursday) and 6.30 PM on 29 April 2026 (Wednesday),” the poll panel said in its notification on 2 April.
Source: LiveMint
Related Posts: West Bengal elections, voter turnout, Trinamool Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, electoral process, 2021 assembly polls, bjp vs tmc, phase 2 voting, bengal election
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