West Bengal Phase 1 Elections 2026: Record Turnout, ‘Jhalmuri Politics’ & What Really Happened on Ground

Last Updated:April 27, 2026, 22:49 IST

West Bengal Phase 1 elections 2026 saw high voter turnout, intense campaigning and unique ‘jhalmuri politics’. Here’s everything that happened on polling day.

West Bengal Elections 2026: West Bengal recorded a footfall of 92% in the first phase of the assembly polls held on April 23. It was state’s highest-ever percentage since Independence.

The contest in the state is largely bipolar – TMC and BJP.

In the first phase, voting was held in 152 seats in 16 district. The election for the remaining seats in the 294-member Bengal assembly will be held on April 29. The results will be announced on May 4.

Let us have a quick look at key highlights during the Phase 1 polls in the state.

History of High Voter Turnout And What Will It mean For BJP, TMC

This is not the first time that the state has recorded a high voter turnout. The state had even recorded over 84% turnout during Covid-19 pandemic.

After the ECI announced 92% voter turnout was recorded in the phase 1 elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the people of West Bengal and said the data were indicative of an “overwhelming mandate for change".

Most voting was recorded in South Dinajpur (95.36%) and Cooch Behar (95.5%) till 7 PM, according to reports.

The TMC also claimed victory after the record turnout. West Bengal Education Minister and senior TMC leader Bratya Basu said the ruling party will have a landslide victory and the first phase has set the tone.

Fish Becomes A Political Issue

This elections, fish has become the centre of attraction multiple times as candidates across party lines tried to use the staple Bengali food to connect to voters. The most recent example is of BJP’s Anurag Thakur sparking row after he was seen relishing fish on a Tuesday.

Politics Over Jhaalmuri

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee engaged in an exchange of jibes over ‘jhaalmuri’ that the PM recently ate on one of his campaign days in the State.

“Jhaalmurimeine khai, jhaal Trinamool ko lagi (I had spicy puffed rice, but TMC felt the heat)" he said at a rally in Krishnanagar on April 23.

Infiltration Politics

The topic of infiltrators from Bangladesh has remained a key issue this election.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on April 23 said “not a single intruder" would be allowed to enter West Bengal if the BJP comes to power, and the illegal immigrants already here would be “selectively rooted out".

“Intruders are eating away the jobs of Bengal’s youth, the rations of the poor, and working to undermine the country’s security," he said.

Deployment Of CRPF

For the phase 1 polls, highest-ever of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) were deployed in West Bengal, with around 2.4 lakh personnel stationed across constituencies to maintain law and order.

The Union Home Ministry had earlier approved the deployment of 480 companies of paramilitary forces, including CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB units, in a phased manner beginning March 2026.

Technology-Driven Surveillance Push

The authorities implemented 00 per cent webcasting at polling stations, supported by AI-based surveillance systems aimed at detecting irregularities in real time.

Temporary infrastructure, such as bamboo barricading, was used at polling locations lacking permanent boundary walls to regulate voter movement and prevent unauthorised entry.

Senior CAPF officials have also conducted high-level reviews of deployment strategy in Kolkata to coordinate operations across districts and ensure uniform security standards.

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