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Visiting several polling booths in her Bhabanipur Assembly constituency where voting is underway, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that democratic norms have been severely compromised by the authorities
Updated
- April 29, 2026 11:27 am IST
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate from Bhabanipur constituency, Mamata Banerjee, visits a polling station in her constituency during the second and final phase of the state Assembly elections, in Kolkata, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
A total of 18.39% of 3.21 crore voters exercised their franchise in the first two hours of polling to 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of West Bengal Assembly elections, a senior Election Commission of India (ECI) official said.Till 9 a.m., Purba Bardhaman district recorded the highest turnout at 20.86%, followed by Hooghly at 20.16%, he said. Nadia recorded 18.5% turnout, followed by North 24 Parganas (17.81%), Kolkata Uttar (17.28%), South 24 Parganas (17.25%), and Kolkata Dakshin (16.81%), he added.Also Read | Trinamool accuses Election Commission’s police observer of serious misconductEarly morning visuals captured a state in “mission mode.” Election officials and polling agents gathered at dawn to conduct mock polls, a mandatory procedure to ensure the integrity of EVMs and VVPAT machines.By 6:30 a.m., long queues had already snaked around polling stations in South 24 Parganas. Despite the intense heat predicted for later in the day, voters, many of them women and first-timers, arrived early to exercise their franchise in what is being described as one of the most polarised and significant elections in Bengal’s history.Also Read | West Bengal polls final phase: BJP eyes breach of TMC’s south Bengal fortress amid SIR shadowThe second round is widely seen as the “litmus test” for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), as voting moves into the party’s traditional fortresses in South Bengal and Kolkata.The 142 seats that go to polls in the second phase are spread across seven districts -- North 24 Parganas (33 seats), South 24 Parganas (31), Nadia (17), Howrah (16) and Kolkata (11), Hooghly (18) and Purba Bardhaman (16). The key candidates in this phase of the election are Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, both contesting from Bhabanipur. Ministers of the Trinamool Government, including Firhad Hakim from Kolkata Port, Aroop Biswas from Tollygunge, Shashi Panja from Shaympukur and Bratya Basu from Dum Dum, are others who will face the polls.Read live updates below:
Watch | West Bengal votes in Phase 2 of Assembly polls
April 29, 2026 11:16 BJP will form govt in Bengal with thumping majority: Nabin
Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Mr. Nabin said, “The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority.” Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Mr. Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional ‘angvastram’.--
PTIApril 29, 2026 11:00 NIA officials deployed in seven West Bengal Assembly seats
NIA officials have been deployed in at least seven Assembly seats of West Bengal where the second phase of polling is underway on Wednesday, after the Election Commission of India asked the federal probe agency to ensure bombs are not used to disrupt polling.The sleuths of the federal anti-terror agency have been deployed in seven Assembly seats, including Kasba, Bhangar, Baruipur, and Bishnupur, an official said.“Yes, the NIA has been assigned to booths in these places. The decision was taken based on specific inputs,” he said, adding that Bhangar have been included
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