Polling in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu gathered pace on Thursday, with voter turnout reaching 61.18 per cent in West Bengal and 56.81 per cent in Tamil Nadu by 1:00 PM, according to the Election Commission of India.
In West Bengal, voting is underway in 152 constituencies across 16 districts as part of the first phase of the Assembly elections.
Polling began at 7:00 AM, and officials reported long queues at several locations, indicating strong participation.
The districts voting in this phase include Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, North and South Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, East and West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, West Burdwan, and Birbhum.
The state will go to the second phase of polling on April 29, covering the remaining 142 constituencies.
The Election Commission said a total of 635 complaints had been received by 11:00 AM regarding the polling process. Of these, 260 went directly to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, while 375 came through the C-Vigil mobile application.
Tamil Nadu is witnessing voting across all 234 Assembly constituencies in a single phase. Over 5.7 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots, choosing from 4,023 candidates.
The main contest in Tamil Nadu involves major political formations such as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led alliance, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led bloc, Naam Tamilar Katchi, and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
Voting began early in the day, with steady turnout reported from multiple districts. Political parties are, however, closely tracking participation trends, as turnout will likely play a key role in determining the outcome.
The counting of votes for both states will take place on May 4.
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