West Bengal recorded brisk polling in phase 1 amid sporadic clashes

Close to 90 per cent of the 3.60 crore electors turned up to vote in the first phase of the West Bengal  Assembly polls till 5 pm on Thursday, held under the shadow of large-scale name deletions under the SIR exercise, sporadic violence and assault on at least three candidates.The state recorded 89.93 per cent voter turnout till 5 pm, with the Dakshin Dinajpur district leading with 93.12 per cent polling. With voting slated to continue till 6 pm, political observers said the turnout might cross 95 per cent. That tension spilled onto the ground in multiple districts. Clashes, allegations of intimidation and attacks on candidates, including on two of the BJP, were reported from several constituencies, prompting the Election Commission to seek detailed reports even as it maintained that polling was “largely peaceful”.

#WATCH | Siliguri, West Bengal: The Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CRPF) personnel dispersed a crowd gathered near a polling station. Mild force was used to disperse the people.

This incident took place in the Dangipara area of ​​Siliguri. pic.twitter.com/MQB52Na14P

— ANI (@ANI) April 23, 2026

Tension escalated further in Naoda when stones were allegedly hurled at the convoy of AJUP chief Humayun Kabir during his visit to a polling area, forcing security personnel to intervene. The incident triggered a brief flare-up, adding to the volatility in the constituency. Clashes erupted between supporters of the TMC and the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), leading to a baton charge by central forces.
The voter turnout is among the highest in recent electoral history of the state. Polling in 16 districts began at 7 am on Thursday amid tight security to decide the electoral fate of 1,478 candidates, including 167 women, in 152 constituencies of the 294-strong state Assembly.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday dialled the West Bengal CEO and enquired about the ground situation in the state, where polling held for the first phase of assembly elections, officials said. During the telephonic conversation, Kumar told state Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal that voting was "going on well", but there was "scope for improvement", they said.