Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 29 (ANI): As polling began for phase two of the state Assembly elections, BJP candidate from Kharagpur Sadar Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday said the party’s fight goes beyond electoral victory and is aimed at bringing “social change,” while expressing confidence over high voter turnout.
Speaking to the reporters in Kolkata, Ghosh said, “…Our fight isn’t for any one election. We’ve come for social change. We’re fighting to bring about change in people’s lives and to see that change in front of us… We will continue to fight and move forward.”
“People are ready to vote. Where there used to be 60-65% voter turnout, there are now 90-95% voting… The Election Commission’s strictness this time has further boosted people’s morale,” he said.
The second and final phase of the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 has officially commenced, preceded by rigorous mock polls across the state’s high-stakes corridors.
The scale of the final phase is massive, covering nearly half of the state’s total assembly seats, 142 (out of 294).
The total electorate is around 3.21 crore (Male: 1,64,35,627 and Female: 1,57,37,418 and Third Gender: 792). 1,448 candidates are in the fray, including 220 women at 41,001 polling stations, with over 8,000 managed entirely by women.
The second phase of polling is crucial in shaping the electoral trajectory in the state, with 142 constituencies in Bengal going to vote. Authorities have put in place elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth and peaceful polling across regions.
After a record-shattering voter turnout in the first phase, West Bengal enters its second and final phase of polling today. This round is widely seen as the “litmus test” for the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), as voting moves into the party’s traditional fortresses in South Bengal and Kolkata.
The results of West Bengal polls will be declared on May 4, along with the outcome of polls in Assam, Keralam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. (ANI)