West Bengal recorded its highest ever voter turnout since independence, with polling in two phases crossing 92 per cent – a significant jump that places the state among the highest in the country.
This increase reflects strong electoral participation, but is still slightly below the national record, which Tripura still holds.
The 2013 Assembly elections in Tripura saw a voter turnout of 93.61 per cent – the highest ever recorded in any Indian state – a benchmark that remains unbeaten, according to Election Commission of India (ECI) data reported by news agency PTI.
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What do the numbers say?
West Bengal recorded a turnout of 92.67 per cent in the recent elections, surpassing states like Nagaland and Manipur, which have consistently recorded over 90 per cent turnout in assembly elections over the years.
The figure also represents a sharp rise from the previous highest turnout in Bengal of 84.72 per cent recorded in 2013.
The first phase, which was conducted on April 23, witnessed a turnout of 91.78 percent, while the second and final phase on April 29 recorded 91.71 percent, according to data from the Election Commission of India.
Read also | Bengal records its highest ever voter turnout since independence, with more than 92% casting their votes
Higher trend in voter participation across states
Trends in high voter participation were evident in other states as well. Assam recorded the highest ever turnout of 85.38 per cent, while Puducherry voted 89.83 per cent, both setting a new record.
Tamil Nadu, where elections were held in all 234 constituencies, recorded a turnout of 84.69 per cent, which was an improvement from the previous high of 78.29 per cent in 2011.
Women voters played a major role in stimulating participation. In West Bengal, 92.69 percent of women voters cast their ballots in the first phase, compared to 90.92 percent of men. Overall, women’s participation reached 85.76 percent, which is higher than men’s participation rate of 83.57 percent.
Tamil Nadu has an electorate of 5.73 crore voters, while West Bengal has about 3.6 crore voters, with polling being conducted in two phases.
