West Bengal Phase 2 Polling Begins With Reports Of Incidents Across Key Seats

Polling for the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 commenced at 7 AM on Wednesday across 142 constituencies, covering Kolkata and six surrounding districts.

The voting process began with reports of minor disturbances in a few areas. In the Bhabanipur constituency of south Kolkata, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting against Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, central security personnel warned Kartik Banerjee, the Chief Minister’s brother, for gathering near a police station with more people than permitted. Officials reminded him of restrictions on group size near polling locations.

Tension was also reported in the nearby Rashbehari constituency, where the Congress alleged that its booth agents were blocked from entering a polling station by workers of the ruling party. The Trinamool Congress has not issued a detailed response to the claim.

In Hooghly district’s Singur area, unease had already been building since Tuesday night, with Trinamool leader Bencharam Manna staging a protest outside a police station, alleging misconduct by security forces.

Separately, voting at a booth in Santipur in Nadia district remained briefly delayed due to a malfunction in an Electronic Voting Machine, though officials moved quickly to address the issue.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to voters through a message on X, urging high participation, especially among women and young people.

Authorities have deployed heavy security for the polling exercise, including central forces and state police units. Webcasting will monitor all polling stations.

The districts participating in this phase include North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Howrah, Nadia, and East Burdwan, along with Kolkata.

Also Read: PM Modi Appeals For High Voter Turnout As Bengal Enters Final Poll Phase