2 min readKolkataApr 24, 2026 11:21 AM ISTVoters at Sukhdevmati Primary School polling station under Raninagar Assembly constituency. (Photo: Partha Paul)West Bengal Assembly Election 2026: The Election Commission kicked off two-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal on Thursday, 23rd April, with one more phase scheduled on Wednesday, 29th April, 2026.Adults above the age of eighteen, male, female, and third gender are eligible to vote. The ECI and the state election machinery have released guidelines regarding the polling hours, voter identification requirements, postal ballots, home voting facilities, dry days ahead of polling, and the mandatory silence period.Polling date and timings:The campaign for the first phase of the West Bengal polls ended on April 21, 2026. Out of 294 Bengal Assembly constituencies, 152 went into voting on Thursday (April 23), while the remaining 142 seats will vote on April 29 (Wednesday). The seats which went to polls in the first phase are spread across eight North Bengal districts and Murshidabad, Nadia, Birbhum and Hooghly on April 23, 2026. The voting started 7 am and ended at 6 pm, mandated by the ECI guidelines as per the framework of assembly elections. West Bengal Assembly Election 2026 – 1st Phase – Voter TurnoutDistrict NameTill 9 am | Total 18.76%Till 11 am | Total 41.11%Till 1 pm | Total 62.18%Till 3 pm | Total 78.77%Till 5 pm| Total 89.93%Till Closing| Total 92.25%Alipurduar17.70%38.80%60.03%77.53%88.74%90.40 %Bankura20.20%43.22%64.58%79.88%89.91%91.36 %Birbhum19.01%41.92%63.93%80.22%91.55%93.49 %Coochbehar17.56%38.67%60.75%79.26%92.07%94.20 %Dakshin Dinajpur18.81%41.17%63.05%81.49%93.12%94.64 %Darjeeling18.80%39.72%59.81%76.54%86.49%87.98 %Jalpaiguri16.29%39.51%60.84%78.92%91.20%92.88 %Jhargram19.84%43.71%65.31%81.04%90.53%91.76 %Kalimpong18.74%39.61%59.52%74.07%81.98%82.91 %Malda16.96%38.22%58.45%76.22%89.56%91.97 %Murshidabad18.88%41.59%62.71%79.72%91.35%92.90 %Paschim Bardhaman19.00%40.24%60.37%75.44%86.89%89.18 %Paschim Medinipur20.51%44.69%65.77%81.07%90.75%91.81 %Purbo Medinipur18.81%42.16%62.90%78.94%88.55%90.32 %Purulia17.83%39.16%59.83%75.97%87.35%89.49 %Uttar Dinajpur17.54%39.04%60.00%77.32%89.74%92.20 %In the second phase, the rest of the 142 seats will go to the polls.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:West BengalAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...