Assembly elections: Bengal leads with 41% voter turnout; Tamil Nadu records 37% by 11 am
New Delhi: Tamil Nadu and West Bengal recorded strong voter turnout in the early hours of polling on Thursday, with participation crossing 35 per cent in both states by 11 am.
According to data released by the Election Commission of India, voter turnout in the first phase of polling in West Bengal stood at 41.11 per cent, while Tamil Nadu recorded 37.57 per cent.
In Tamil Nadu, Tiruppur district recorded the highest turnout at 42.45 per cent, followed by Namakkal at 41.41 per cent and Erode at 41.00 per cent. Chennai registered a turnout of 35.47 per cent, Coimbatore 38.62 per cent and Madurai 36.22 per cent, while the Nilgiris recorded the lowest turnout at 32.62 per cent.
In West Bengal, Paschim Medinipur recorded the highest turnout at 44.68 per cent, followed by Jhargram at 43.71 per cent and Bankura at 43.22 per cent. The lowest turnout was reported in Malda at 38.22 per cent.
Polling for the Assembly elections began in Tamil Nadu and across 152 constituencies in West Bengal amid tight security. Voting will continue until 6:00 pm, while counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
Several leaders and public figures cast their votes in the morning, including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, TVK chief Vijay, DMK minister K.N. Nehru, and actors Rajinikanth and Dhruv Vikram.
Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said the state has an electorate of over 5.73 crore voters, including 2,93,04,905 women, 2,80,30,658 men, and 7,728 third-gender voters. The electorate also includes 14,59,039 first-time voters and 68,501 service voters. A total of 4,18,541 postal votes have already been received, and 62 counting centres have been set up to ensure a smooth process.
The main contest in Tamil Nadu is between the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which includes the Congress, DMDK and VCK, and the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance, comprising the BJP and PMK.
In West Bengal, elections are being held for 294 Assembly seats. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the first phase covers 152 constituencies, while the remaining 142 will go to polls in the second phase. A total of 1,478 candidates are in the fray in this phase.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is seeking a fourth consecutive term, while the BJP, which won 77 seats in the previous election, is attempting to expand its presence and form the government in the state.
(DD News)
