BJP's Pursurah candidate Biman Ghosh cast his vote in Hooghly, appealing to voters to 'change Bengal'. He expressed confidence in BJP's victory and said the 'TMC Private Limited Company' of the aunt and nephew will shut down after the polls.
BJP candidate from Pursurah assembly seat, Biman Ghosh, cast his vote in Hooghly, as polling across 142 seats in West Bengal commenced on Wednesday. Speaking to ANI, Ghosh appealed to voters to come out of their homes and exercise their voting right. He further hoped for peaceful elections in the state, expressing confidence in the BJP's victory in the elections. "I appeal to the voters to come out in the morning and vote. This is a festival. Vote and change Bengal. Real transformation will come now. This time, that record (in the first phase) will be broken...Voting should hopefully be peaceful...We will win a high number of seats and come to power. Bengal will transform...TMC Private Limited Company of the aunt and nephew, will shut down. Its workers will have to look for other companies...To people I would like to say - Pehle matdaan, phir jalpaan," said Biman Ghosh.
Ghosh further slammed TMC MP Mitali Bag, accusing her of doing "drama", amidst the allegations of an attack on her car during campaigning in the state. "This was a drama done by Mitali Bag...Does public not understand all this? Will crying help her case? No. MP is a responsible position. She should have thought of this. They will be wiped out," he said.
Second Phase of Polling Commences
Meanwhile, before voting commenced in West Bengal, mock polls were held across various polling stations in the state. The second and final phase of the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 has officially commenced, preceded by rigorous mock polls across the state's high-stakes corridors.
Early 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 AM, 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.
High Stakes and Key Contests
The 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 scale of this phase is massive, covering nearly half of the state's total assembly seats, 142 (out of 294). The total electorate is around 3.21 crore (Male: 1,64,35,627 and Female: 1,57,37,418 and Third Gender: 792) 1,448 candidates are in the fray, including 220 women at 41,001 polling stations, with over 8,000 managed entirely by women.
While 142 seats are up for grabs, all eyes are on the "Big Five" urban contests. The "VVIP" seat of Kolkata Bhabanipur Constituency - Mamata Banerjee (TMC) vs. Suvendu Adhikari (BJP). Tollyganj, the heart of the Bengali film industry, is a high-profile star-studded battle.
In the 2021 elections, the TMC dominated this specific belt, winning 123 of these 142 seats. For the BJP, this phase is about making inroads into the urban "bhadralok" vote and the Matua community. For the TMC, it is about holding the line to ensure a fourth consecutive term for Mamata Banerjee.
Election Facts and Figures
The first phase of elections on April 23 had seen a record 91.78 per cent polling.
The voting on Wednesday will decide the electoral fate of 1,448 candidates, which includes 1,228 men and 220 women. The Election Commission has made all arrangements for the smooth conduct of the polling process.
Of over 3.22 crore total voters, 3.21 crore are general electors and nearly 40,000 are service voters. There are 1.64 crore male electors and 1.57 crore female electors, and 792 have been identified as the third gender.
The results of West Bengal polls will be declared on May 4, along with the outcome of polls in Assam, Keralam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. (ANI)
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