New Delhi: Voting for the assembly elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu has finished, with a large number of people taking part.
In Tamil Nadu, voting was held for all 234 seats in one day, starting from 7 AM. In West Bengal, voting for 152 seats was completed in the first phase, where 1,478 candidates are in the race.
There was strong competition in both states. In West Bengal, the main fight is between the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In Tamil Nadu, it is between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led alliance and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)-BJP alliance.
People stood in long lines at polling booths, and many women were seen voting with great enthusiasm.
Some clashes were reported in West Bengal. In Murshidabad and Siliguri, there were fights between workers of TMC and BJP. A BJP candidate also said his polling agents were removed from booths.
In Tamil Nadu, voting was peaceful and went smoothly. Many famous people and leaders also cast their votes.
High Voting Percentage
Both states saw strong voting numbers. Tamil Nadu recorded 84.56% voting, while West Bengal (first phase) recorded 91.64%.
West Bengal also saw higher voting compared to past years:
2011: 84.72%
2016: 83.02%
2021: 82.30%
2026: Around 90%+
Leaders React
During voting, Home Minister Amit Shah said that the time of corruption and violence in TMC is ending.
Overall, people showed great interest in voting, and turnout was very high in both states.