West Bengal Assembly Elections: Voting Underway in Phase Two; Tensions Flare Up at Polling Booths

Voting is now underway for the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections — with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4. The polls will decide electoral fate of 1,448 candidates across 142 seats on Wednesday. The TMC is aiming to record a fourth consecutive victory, while the BJP looks to secure a mandate this time around after an improved tally of 77 seats in the 2021 polls. The Left parties are seeking to regain space in the state they ruled for decades with the Congress also seeking to revive itself in the state that has a significant role in the national polity. The second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections will see voting across 142 constituencies in eight crucial districts of the state. The BJP-TMC face-off now shifts to south Bengal and urban clusters that have traditionally been a stronghold of the Mamata Banerjee -led party. The Chief Minister will face off against long-term-ally-turned-BJP-leader Suvendu Adhikari for control of her home bastion in Bhabanipur. Several senior ministers will also defend crucial constituencies — Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Hooghly and Purba Bardhaman — as ballots are cast on Wednesday. Thousands of polling stations have been set up across eight districts in south Bengal ahead of the polls. Special Electoral Roll Observer Subrata Gupta told news agency ANI that authorities were “prepared for the worst” and urged residents to “come and vote peacefully and without any fear”. Both the state police and Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed across the state to maintain law and order. Eligible voters should verify their details on the official Election Commission website before stepping out to cast their ballots. Steps to Check Voter List online: "We have heard that a person associated with the BJP carrying a sharp object in his hand was threatening people to vote in favour of the BJP here (Narsingh Bose Lane). We have made a video of this incident and shared it with the District Administration and the media. The police have arrested that person. BJP has lost everything, and this is the reason BJP is trying to threaten people to vote in their favour," said TMC leader Abhishek Chatterjee. "I reject the allegations being made against the BJP because the man in the video is not associated with our party. We don't recognise him. It appears that the man deliberately acted in a manner to defame the BJP," came the response from Sachin Kumar Singh, the vice president of BJP Mandal-3 . According to reports, crude bombs have been recovered near a pond around 200 metres from a polling booth in Ketugram in Purba Bardhaman district. Locals had first spotted the crude bombs and informed the police. The local police has cordoned off the area and bomb squad is reportedly on their way. "It is impossible to expect elections in Bengal to be free of violence. We expected this from the ruling party's side. Still, people in large numbers are participating in the elections. The common people feel that they will be able to vote because Central Forces have been deployed in large numbers here. Common people are participating in the elections by without fear," said Congress candidate from Baharampur Assembly constituency Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. According to details shared by the Election Commission of India, 61.11% approximate voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm in the second and final phase of West Bengal elections 2026. BJP Bihar president Sanjay Saraogi on Wednesday said that the high voter turnout in the ongoing West Bengal assembly elections reflect widespread public anger against the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led government, alleging that people are voting for change due to corruption, "cut money" practices, and concerns over governance, resource utilisation in West Bengal. "Even in the first phase, several assembly seats saw a 96 per cent voter turnout, with an average of around 93 per cent across the board. Today, a significant number of voters turned out to cast their ballots. In the first phase as well, the anger people felt towards the TMC and Mamata Banerjee's anti-people government was clearly visible at polling stations. Today too, the long queues indicate that people have made up their minds for change and to bid farewell to this anti-people government. The way Bengal's resources are being utilised for Rohingya infiltrators under government protection is concerning. From local businesses to the general public, everyone is distressed. 'Cut money' (illegal commissions) hasn't spared anyone, which is why people are voting for change today," Sanjay Saraogi told ANI. Tensions flared up in Kolkata's Kalighat area on Wednesday when the BJP's Bhabanipur candidate Suvendu Adhikari visited a polling booth and was greeted with slogans by TMC workers, prompting police intervention and a complaint by the opposition leader to the EC seeking deployment of additional central forces. Security forces had to resort to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. https://twitter.com/ANI/status/2049392883254567219 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari landed in the same polling booth area in Bhabanipur's Chakraberia on Wednesday morning, and took swipes at one another without any direct interaction, underlining the prestige battle unfolding in the CM's political bastion. Though they did not come face-to-face or exchange courtesies, the two rival candidates were briefly in the same area in ward number 70 of Chakraberia, where Banerjee was seated outside a local party office after receiving complaints of alleged intimidation of local TMC leaders. As Banerjee remained on the verandah of the party office, Adhikari arrived on the road, just opposite the spot, accompanied by a large contingent of central forces personnel, and launched an attack on the chief minister, claiming she had realised that "not a single vote" was coming her way. While Banerjee accused the BJP of trying to "rig" the election using central forces, police observers and election officials, Adhikari dismissed her allegations as signs of "frustration", saying the chief minister was "scared" because state police no longer controlled the polling process. " Voting in Bengal is taking place in a fearless atmosphere, unimaginable in the last six or seven decades. People are casting their votes without fear. This is a virtuous symbol of the country's Constitution and the country's strengthening democracy. I express my gratitude to the great people of Bengal for being so vigilant about their rights and voting in large numbers," he said in Uttar Pradesh. https://twitter.com/ANI/status/2049388155045064724 TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien has 'dared' Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resign if the BJP loses the West Bengal Assembly elections to the Mamata Banerjee-led party. In a video message, O'Brien claimed that Modi had projected himself as the BJP's face across all 294 Assembly seats in the state and dared him to accept the challenge. "You yourself announced that you are the candidate in all 294 seats in Bengal. Stop making tall claims and accept this challenge. On May 4, when Mamata Banerjee and the TMC win Bengal, have the courage to resign from the post of PM," the TMC MP said. "West Bengal is witnessing heavy polling...people are fearlessly voting...Voting is taking place in Bengal this time in a fearless atmosphere, which was difficult to even imagine earlier," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during an event in Uttar Pradesh. Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly casts his vote at a polling booth in Behala https://twitter.com/PTI_News/status/2049385907330159025 Saikat Sarkar, the BJP candidate from the Chapra Assembly constituency, alleged that his polling agent was attacked early in the morning while on his way to a polling booth. According to Sarkar, the agent, Musharraf Mir, was heading to booth number 53 around 6 am when he was allegedly assaulted by the TMC candidate along with a person identified as Mufizul and several others. He claimed the group struck Mir from behind on the forehead using a gun and an iron rod. The injured polling agent was taken to the hospital, where he reportedly required six stitches and remains under treatment. Sarkar said a police complaint has been filed in connection with the incident and demanded that the elections be conducted in a free and fair manner. Ratna Debnath, mother of the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder victim and BJP candidate from the Panihati seat, alleged that she was verbally abused and threatened by alleged All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers during campaigning. She claimed that the group used offensive language against her and accused her of using her daughter’s name for political gain. According to her, they also behaved inappropriately and warned her of consequences on May 4. Debnath said she approached the police and demanded immediate arrests, but instead, she was asked to leave the area. She also alleged that police did not allow her Chief Election Agent to stay with her at the spot. She added that after she formally lodged a complaint at the police station, officers later arrived and removed the TMC workers who had gathered there. Sekharranjan Debnath, father of the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder victim, alleged that he and his family were threatened by alleged All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters while they were travelling during the election campaign. He claimed that several people on motorcycles were waiting on the route, raising slogans and later bringing in more party workers who allegedly tried to confront and attack them. He further alleged that instead of removing the TMC workers from the spot, the police asked his family to leave the area. According to him, such actions were being taken because the ruling party was feeling threatened by them politically. His wife, Ratna Debnath, mother of the victim, is contesting the election from the Panihati seat as a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "At around 6 in the morning, our agent Musharraf Mir was going to booth number 53. At that time, the TMC candidate, his goon Mufizul, and other people came together and hit him on the forehead from behind with a gun, a rod. He suffered six stitches, so he is still in the hospital. After that, a complaint was filed at the police station. We want free and fair elections," claimed BJP candidate from the Chapra Assembly constituency, Saikat Sarkar. BJP candidate Bikash Sardar has alleged that hundreds of "TMC goons" had attacked his car and assaulted his driver as polling began in West Bengal. Sardar claimed the incident took place in the Kanthalberia area when he was visiting polling booths in the constituency. He alleged that stones were hurled at his vehicle and claimed that central forces were later rushed to the spot following the incident. The BJP candidate further accused policemen of beating him up. "TMC is doing 'goonda giri' (hooliganism) everywhere in the constituency. Around 200 to 250 TMC goons attacked my car with rods and bamboo sticks. They also assaulted my driver...I was also beaten up by policemen. They are helping the ruling party instead of ensuring free and fair polls," Sardar alleged. "Last night, I got a call over a complaint against me in the Election Commission that I was distributing money in the Bagda constituency. But I was at my own home. Central Forces personnel threatened several leaders to not leave their houses to cast a vote. This is the first time such a thing has happened. BJP with the Election Commission is doing 'tandav' in West Bengal. We had never seen such a thing before. The public will make it clear what they want," Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Mamata Thakur told ANI. She spoke to the media after casting her vote at a polling booth in Thakurnagar, North 24 Parganas. BJP leader Amit Malviya has alleged that voters were prevented from choosing the BJP at several polling booths in Falta under the Diamond Harbour constituency. He claimed that in multiple booths, the BJP option was allegedly blocked using tape. The Election Commission has assured a repoll if the allegations are proven true. "If any irregularities or if reports of taping of any button come in, that should be verified and noted. If true, those booths will go for a repoll," said the West Bengal Election Commissioner. According to reports, a clash erupted between BJP and TMC polling agents at Booth number 147-148 in the Ramchandrapur Adarsha Bidyabhaban within Khanakul assembly constituency. "It was a minor incident. Right now, voting is taking place in a peaceful manner. CRPF's all-women 240 Battalion is deployed here," CRPF Sub-Inspector Usha told ANI. "I went inside, everything was fine, when I came out I saw that an elderly woman, who had pain in her leg and could not stand properly, I felt bad and I said to someone who was in front of me, to help her... Within 10 metres Trinamool goons attacked me and told me then they would not let me to go out," said Ratna Debnath, the BJP candidate from the Panihati assembly constituency. She is the mother of the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder victim and BJP candidate from Panihati seat. BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya has levelled accusations of EVM tampering and demanded a repolling for several booths in the Falta area of Diamond Harbour. "In several polling booths, the option to vote for the BJP has been blocked using a tape, effectively preventing voters from exercising their choice...We demand an immediate repoll in all affected booths in Falta where such incidents have occurred," he alleged via X. Malviya shared videos from the polling booths to underscore his claim. According to details shared by the Election Commission of India, 39.97% approximate voter turnout was recorded till 11 am in the second and final phase of West Bengal elections 2026. "NIA team has come here to scare us. We had never seen NIA or CBI or ED on election day. This is the first time we are seeing this. We will not be scared," said TMC candidate from Bhangar, Saokat Molla. He had earlier levelled accusations of 'violent hooliganism' in the area. An NIA team arrived early in the morning to take over blast and bomb recovery cases in the district. The accused however, are still at large. "Gundagiri by TMC is happening everywhere in the constituency. 200-250 TMC goons attacked my car with rods and bamboo sticks. They also attacked my driver," said BJP candidate from the Basanti assembly constituency, Bikash Sardar. People were seen queueing up outside polling booths to cast their vote even as rain continued to lash parts of the state on Wednesday morning. https://twitter.com/PTI_News/status/2049359032645976211 Fresh tension has erupted at a polling booth on Abinash Kabiraj Street in Kolkata after the TMC alleged that BJP candidate Purnima Chakraborty has attacked TMC camp. Police and central force are at the spot. "100 metres from the polling booth, a camp has been set up and a fake EVM has been placed. People are being told which button to press. They cannot campaign today... I am filing a complaint with the Election Commission. There is no point in complaining to the police," he claimed. "I see that voting is going well... The public has woken up, she (Mamata Banerjee) is going. Tell her to go to Ward 77. Why is she coming here to scare Hindu voters?" he asked. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari are facing off against each other in the Bhabanipur constituency. Both leaders visited booths early on Wednesday morning. “I expect that there will be 90% voting in Bhabanipur . Voting will speed up later in the day. They [TMC] are unable to do anything. This is first time that in every booth in Bhabanipur has BJP agents. I have taken rounds of 10 booths people are very excited , I will go around more booths," Adhikari said. He also questioned Mamata Banerjee's presence in the area. Adhikari said he would raise an objection with the poll observer over this. “Section 163 (of BNSS) is in effect here. Mamata Banerjee is walking around with several people. Why is Mamata Banerjee roaming here?” "The arrangements are always done well inside the booths but outside arrangements are not always good. However, this year arrangements both inside and outside is good. This is the victory of democracy. The people of West Bengal are witnessing this kind of election after 50 years," he told PTI.