Assembly Elections 2026: First phase of voting begins in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, know what message PM Modi, Kharge gave to the public?
Kolkata. Voting for 152 seats in the first phase of West Bengal Assembly elections began at 7 am on Thursday and will continue till 6 pm. For the first phase of voting in the state, 44,378 polling stations have been set up for 152 seats in 16 districts. Voters have started arriving at all these polling stations since morning to exercise their franchise. In this phase, voters of eight districts of North Bengal, three of South Bengal and five districts of Jangalmahal region are exercising their franchise.
Voting for 152 seats in the first phase
These districts include Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, West Medinipur, East Medinipur and South 24 Parganas. Apart from this, voting will also be held on some seats of Kolkata and Howrah in this phase. The seats where tough competition is expected in the first phase of voting include Nandigram, Kharagpur, Purulia, Bankura and Jhargram seats. The second phase of elections in the state will be held on April 29, in which voting will be held on 142 seats.
The Election Commission has made unprecedented security arrangements to ensure peaceful conduct of elections in the state and intensive deployment of Central Armed Police Forces has been done in sensitive areas. A total of 1,478 candidates are trying their luck in the first phase. The total number of voters in this phase is more than 3.60 crore, which includes 1.84 crore males, 1.74 crore females and 465 transgenders.
There are a total of 6.44 crore voters in West Bengal. The main contest in the state is between Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress and Left parties are also trying their best. After voting, the electronic voting machines will be sealed and taken to the ‘strong rooms’ of the counting centres, where security personnel will be deployed 24 hours a day. Counting of votes will take place on May 4 and election results will be declared on the same day.
tamilnadu assembly voting
Voting for all 234 seats of the Tamil Nadu Assembly began at 7 am on Thursday and will continue till 6 pm. Voters have started arriving at all the polling stations in the state since morning to exercise their franchise. The Election Commission has made all necessary arrangements to conduct the elections in the state in a peaceful and fair manner. A total of 75,032 polling stations have been set up across the state. Of these, 5,938 centers have been declared sensitive. Special monitoring of these centers is being done. Strict security arrangements have been made for voting.
Around 300 companies of central paramilitary forces have also been deployed for security and have been deployed at various polling stations across the state. Overall, about 1.50 lakh security personnel of the state have been deployed under the security arrangements. These include 1.18 lakh regular policemen, and 20,000 Rapid Action Force, Home Guards and retired policemen.
A total of 4,023 candidates have entered the electoral fray in the state, out of which 443 are women candidates. Of the 5.67 crore voters in the state, more than 2.70 crore are men, 2.89 crore are women and 7,728 are transgender voters. There are a total of 12.51 lakh voters in the 18-19 age group and 1.05 crore voters in the 20-29 age group in the state.
After voting, the electronic voting machines will be sealed and taken to the ‘strong rooms’ of the counting centres, where security personnel will be deployed 24 hours a day. The main contest in Tamil Nadu is between the ruling Dravida Mannetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led alliance and its main rival AIADMK-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance. This time, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam, the party of actor C Joseph Vijay, who entered the political arena from the world of acting, has made the contest triangular on some seats. Counting of votes will take place on May 4 and results will be declared on the same day.
Prime Minister Modi appeals for record voting in assembly elections
After the start of voting in the first phase of West Bengal Assembly elections on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the citizens on social media to come out in large numbers and vote. In the first phase of elections in the state, voting is going on today for 152 assembly seats in 16 districts. In his message focused on West Bengal, Modi wrote, “Today the first phase of West Bengal Assembly elections is taking place. I urge all citizens to participate in this celebration of democracy with full force. I especially appeal to my young friends and women of West Bengal to vote in large numbers.”
In a separate post addressing the voters of Tamil Nadu, the Prime Minister said, “As the people of Tamil Nadu prepare to vote in the Assembly elections, I urge all voters to fulfill this sacred democratic duty with great enthusiasm. In particular, I call upon the youth and women of Tamil Nadu to turn out in large numbers and pave the way for a record turnout.
Congress President Kharge appeals to vote for social justice and development in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge appealed to the people of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu to vote for social justice, equality and development in the assembly elections. The Congress President also said that today the fight is to protect federalism, rationality, equality, justice and freedom. Voting is going on for all 234 assembly seats in Tamil Nadu on Thursday.
In West Bengal, out of 294 seats, voting is being held for 152 seats in the first phase, voting for the remaining seats is to be held on April 29. Counting of votes in both the states will take place on May 4. Kharge posted on ‘X’, “Dear brothers and sisters of Tamil Nadu, today’s fight is to secure your rights. This fight is to protect federalism, rationality, equality, justice and freedom.
He said it is also a fight to ensure inclusive welfare and maintain the ideals of social justice. “Now is the time for you to exercise your democratic right and stand up against those who want to take away your federal rights,” he said. “I especially urge the young first-time voters to come out in large numbers and vote for the future of Tamil Nadu,” the Congress president said.
Kharge said in his post regarding Bengal elections, “As voting is going on for the first phase of assembly elections in West Bengal today, I sincerely urge all citizens to come out and participate in voting in large numbers. Don’t be afraid of the forces that want to discourage you. Your vote is your voice, and it should be heard loudly.”
He called upon the people to follow the path shown by the Constitution and maintain the spirit of democracy. Kharge said, “West Bengal is the proud land of great leaders who stood for democracy, social justice, equality and freedom. We need to ensure that those ideals remain intact.” He said, ”I make a special appeal to the young first-time voters to exercise their right with conviction and help ensure that true development reaches every corner of the state.
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