Bengal heads to the second phase of polling with 142 seats, and all eyes are on Mamata against Suvendu in Bhabanipur.

Last updated: April 29, 2026 12:07 am

Senior Journalist Editor

Anand Kumar is a Senior Journalist at Global India Broadcast News, covering national affairs, education, and digital media. He focuses on fact-based reporting and in-depth analysis...

Follow:

- Senior Journalist Editor

3 Min Read

West Bengal is gearing up for the second phase of polling for 142 seats on Wednesday, with over 1,448 candidates, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in the fray.

The second phase of voting for 142 seats will be held on Wednesday. (@AITCofficial)

Mamata Banerjee, who is eyeing a fourth term for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), is contesting from Bhabanipur against the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari.

In the first phase of voting for 152 seats, the state witnessed a heavy turnout of 92.72 percent, the highest since independence. The election results will be announced along with other states and union territories on May 4.

Here are the most important points about the second phase of voting in Bengal:

Voting on Wednesday will determine the fate of 1,448 candidates, including 1,228 men and 220 women. Several prominent candidates are in the running, including Mamata Banerjee, Suvendu Adhikari, Firhad Hakim, and several others.
Over 3.22 crore voters will participate in voting, including 1.64 crore male voters, 1.57 crore female voters and 792 crore third gender voters.
While over 4.12 lakh first-time voters in the age group of 18-19 years will cast their votes, around 3,200 voters are aged 100 years and above.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting from Bhabanipur constituency, from which she won last year. Mamata had contested from both Bhabanipur and Nandigram. Nandigram has lost to Suvendu Adhikari. The BJP leader is now challenging the TMC chief in Bhabanipur.
An EC official said 2,473 people were arrested in Bengal as part of intensive surveillance ahead of the second phase. While 809 people were arrested on Monday night across the state, the number rose further by Tuesday, reaching 2,473, the EC official said. Most of those arrested were identified as potential rioters.

The Bengal elections saw intense campaigning by the BJP, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Amit Shah, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and several senior leaders participating in rallies and roadshows. Meanwhile, on the TMC side, Mamata Banerjee held a meeting in Bhabanipur Assembly constituency and interacted with people on Monday.