Assembly elections: West Bengal hits 89.93%, Tamil Nadu at 82.24% till 5 pm

New Delhi: Voter turnout surged sharply by 5 PM on Thursday, with West Bengal recording an impressive 89.93 per cent, well ahead of Tamil Nadu, which also registered a strong 82.24 per cent, according to the Election Commission.

The figures reflect a significant rise in participation as polling hours neared closure, indicating robust voter engagement in both states.

West Bengal led the turnout chart, with multiple districts crossing the 90 per cent mark.

Dakshin Dinajpur recorded the highest turnout at 93.12 per cent, followed by Cooch Behar at 92.07 per cent, Birbhum at 91.55 per cent, Murshidabad at 91.36 per cent, and Jalpaiguri at 91.20 per cent.

Jhargram (90.53 per cent) and Paschim Medinipur (90.70 per cent) also remained above 90 per cent, while Bankura (89.91 per cent) and Malda (89.56 per cent) posted strong figures. Darjeeling recorded a comparatively lower but still significant turnout of 86.49 per cent.

The numbers underline West Bengal’s continued trend of high voter participation across districts.

Tamil Nadu also saw a steady increase in turnout through the day, with several districts nearing the high-80 per cent range.

Karur led with 89.32 per cent, followed by Salem at 88.02 per cent, Erode at 87.59 per cent, Dharmapuri at 87.28 per cent, and Tiruppur at 86.33 per cent. Ariyalur recorded 83.09 per cent, Tiruchirappalli 82.76 per cent and Chennai 81.34 per cent, reflecting strong participation in both urban and semi-urban areas. Madurai (77.89 per cent) and Thoothukudi (77.56 per cent) reported relatively lower turnout figures.

In by-elections, polling also gathered momentum. Gujarat’s Umreth constituency recorded 54.43 per cent turnout, while Maharashtra’s Rahuri saw 50.68 per cent polling and Baramati reported 52.44 per cent.

Earlier in the day, turnout stood at 78.77 per cent in West Bengal and 70 per cent in Tamil Nadu by 3 PM, as per Election Commission data.

By 1 PM, West Bengal had recorded 56.81 per cent, while Tamil Nadu stood at 62.18 per cent.

Polling for 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu and 152 constituencies in West Bengal began amid tight security in the morning and is scheduled to conclude at 6 PM.

Voting in the remaining 142 constituencies in West Bengal will take place on May 29, while counting of votes is set for May 4.

(DD News)