Voters wait in a queue to cast their votes during the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026 on Wednesday. | Photo credit: ANI
West Bengal, where polling ended on Wednesday, saw a voter turnout of nearly 92%, the highest in the state’s election history, according to preliminary data released by the ECI. However, as recently seen in Tamil Nadu, the record voter turnout was not due to a surge in voter turnout, but to the low base effect of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which reduced the number of voters in the state.
The SIR exercise, which took place in a highly controversial manner in West Bengal, reduced the electorate by nearly 11% from 7.66 million to 6.26 million.
Published – 30 April 2026 08:00 IST
