Voting Under Tight Security Begins Across 142 Seats in West Bengal

Kolkata, April 2026 : Polling for the crucial second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections began at 7 a.m. on Wednesday across 142 constituencies spread over six districts, including the state capital, Kolkata. The voting process commenced amid unprecedented security arrangements, although reports of mild tension surfaced from a few pockets in the early hours.

In the high-profile Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in south Kolkata, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting against Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, a minor incident was reported. The Chief Minister’s brother, Kartik Banerjee, was cautioned by central forces for gathering near a police station with more people than permitted. Security personnel reminded him that no more than four individuals are allowed to assemble near polling stations at a time.

A separate incident occurred in the nearby Rashbehari constituency, where tensions briefly escalated following allegations by the Congress that their booth agents were prevented from entering a polling station. The party accused workers of the ruling All India Trinamool Congress of engaging in “hooliganism” at the start of the voting process.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged voters to participate in large numbers. In a message posted on social media, he called upon citizens to strengthen democracy by exercising their franchise, with a special appeal to women and young voters to turn out in significant numbers.

Meanwhile, tension lingered in Singur in Hooghly district since Tuesday night, where outgoing Trinamool Congress legislator Bencharam Manna staged a protest outside a local police station, alleging excesses by security forces. Elsewhere, in Nadia district’s Santipur constituency, polling at one booth was briefly delayed due to a malfunction in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), which was later rectified.

As per election protocol, mock polling exercises were conducted at all polling stations before the commencement of actual voting to ensure transparency and proper functioning of the machines.

The six districts going to polls in this phase, besides Kolkata, include North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Howrah, Nadia, and East Burdwan.

To ensure smooth and peaceful polling, a massive security deployment has been put in place. A total of 2,407 companies of central forces, including personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces, India Reserve Battalion, and armed police units from other states, have been stationed alongside the West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police.

In addition, webcasting is being carried out at all polling stations to enhance monitoring and maintain transparency. Authorities are closely tracking the situation as voters continue to exercise their democratic rights across the state.