New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday reported an extraordinary surge in voter participation in the Legislative Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and the first phase of polling in West Bengal. The record-breaking turnout underlined a significant moment in India’s democratic journey since Independence, say ECI officials.

Voting began at 7:00 AM across both states on April 23, 2026. By-elections in select constituencies in Gujarat and Maharashtra were also held. Extensive monitoring and enhanced voter facilitation measures were put in place.

Tamil Nadu recorded an impressive overall voter turnout of 84.69 per cent till 5 pm. This surpassed its previous highest of 78.29 per cent achieved in the 2011 Assembly elections. What stands out even more is the gender-wise participation. Female voters at 85.76 per cent outpaced male voters at 83.57 per cent. This reflected a trend of higher electoral engagement among women in the state. This highlights a dramatic rise compared to past elections. Voters’ participation stood at 73.63 per cent in 2021 and 70.14 per cent in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. It was an indication of the renewed surge of public participation.

Historically, Tamil Nadu’s voter turnout has seen fluctuations since the early decades after Independence. In the 1950s and 1960s, moderate participations were seen. However, this gave way to higher engagement levels from the late 20th century onwards. However, the 2026 figures represent a decisive leap, which is what placed the state at its highest-ever level of democratic participation.

West Bengal, in its Phase-I polling, recorded an even more striking turnout of 91.78 per cent till 5 pm. This also exceeded its previous high of 84.72 per cent set in 2011. Female participation again led the way at 92.69 per cent. This is compared to 90.92 per cent among male voters. This suggests a national pattern of strong female electoral engagement. The scale of this turnout is particularly notable given West Bengal’s already historically high voting percentages, which are often among the highest in the country.

From figures in the mid-50 per cent range in the early post-Independence years, the state steadily climbed to cross 80 per cent in the 1980s and 1990s. This level was maintained consistently in subsequent elections. The 2026 Phase-I turnout thus represents not just continuity but a sharp escalation in voter enthusiasm and mobilisation.

These elections were conducted with significant logistical scale and administrative oversights, say EC officials.

The data are interesting: across the two states, a combined electorate of over 9.33 crore voters was served through more than 1.19 lakh polling stations, staffed by nearly 6 lakh polling personnel.

Tamil Nadu alone accounted for 234 Assembly constituencies and over 5.7 crore electors. At the same time, West Bengal’s Phase-I covered 152 constituencies with approximately 3.6 crore voters. According to the ECI press release, the Commission ensured 100 per cent live webcasting of polling stations, allowing real-time monitoring by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners S. S. Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The idea was to put a strong emphasis on transparency and accountability.

Operational efficiency was further enhanced using the ECINET platform. Presiding Officers uploaded polling data immediately after voting closed on these platforms. This was aimed at minimising delays in reporting trends, say officials. While the figures remain provisional and exclude service voters and postal ballots, they already provide a clear picture of unprecedented participation, with only a small fraction of polling station data yet to be updated.

Meanwhile, the by-elections in Gujarat and Maharashtra, while more modest in scale, showed relatively lower turnout levels, with constituencies like Umreth in Gujarat recording 59.03 per cent and Baramati and Rahuri in Maharashtra recording 57.48 per cent and 55.31 per cent respectively till 5 pm. These figures, though not comparable to the large-scale Assembly elections, still reflect steady participation in localised contests.

–IANS

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