Polling across more than 44,000 polling stations proceeded largely smoothly under heavy deployment of Central Armed Police Forces security. However, violence erupted primarily in Murshidabad, where supporters of the Trinamool Congress and AUJP clashed, involving a bomb blast and stone pelting incidents.
The Election Commission ordered repolling at over 60 booths across four districts scheduled for April 26, following multiple complaints of disturbances during the voting process.
Opposition parties alleged large-scale intimidation and deletion of names from voter lists, claiming that up to 9.1 million voters were affected. However, other political stakeholders defended the electoral process as fair and transparent.
Despite tensions and allegations, the exceptionally high turnout reflects strong civic engagement across the state ahead of Phase 2 of polling scheduled for April 29.
The combination of record participation and isolated violence underscores both heightened democratic engagement and persistent electoral tensions in West Bengal.
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