Assembly Elections 2026 | West Bengal, Tamil Nadu record highest-ever voter turnout since Independence

New Delhi: West Bengal with 91.78 per cent and Tamil Nadu with 84.69 per cent recorded their highest-ever voter turnout in Assembly polls since Independence on Thursday.

While the polls were conducted in a single phase in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal will see two-phase polling, with the second phase to be held on April 29.

On April 9, Assam and Puducherry surpassed their highest-ever poll participation by recording a voter turnout of 85.38 per cent and 89.83 per cent respectively.

According to the Election Commission (EC), previously, the highest poll participation in Tamil Nadu was 78.29 per cent (2011 Assembly polls) and 84.72 per cent in West Bengal (2011).

In both states, women voters came out in larger numbers than men to exercise their franchise.

In Tamil Nadu, the women participation was recorded at 85.76 per cent as compared to 83.57 per cent for men.

In West Bengal, 92.69 per cent of women voters turned up at the polling stations, compared to 90.92 per cent men.

Tamil Nadu, where all the 234 seats went to polls on Thursday, has 5.73 crore voters, whereas in the 152 seats of West Bengal where polling was held on Thursday, the voter base is 3.6 crore.

Responding to the impressive voter turnout, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said, "For the highest ever percentage of polling in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu since Independence, the EC salutes each voter of the two states."

The counting of votes for all the five assemblies -- West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and Assam -- will be taken up on May 4.