South Bengal Votes Today in Final Phase of West Bengal Assembly Elections

When West Bengal votes in the second and final phase of the assembly elections on May 29, the contest moves decisively to where power is truly decided — the dense, politically decisive belt of south Bengal. This is not just the closing round of polling. It is the verdict on whether the incumbent Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress can hold its strongest turf, or whether the BJP has finally found a pathway to Nabanna, the current state secretariat.

If the first phase tested the BJP's ability to retain its edge in north Bengal, the second phase is a far sharper, riskier question: can it breach the TMC's southern fortress?

The geography alone explains the stakes. Voting will take place across 142 seats spanning Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Hooghly and Purba Bardhaman — districts that together form the political and demographic core of the state. In 2021, the TMC dominated this belt, winning 123 of these 142 seats, leaving the BJP with just 18 and the ISF with one (Bhangar). The message was unmistakable then — and remains so now: without south Bengal, there is no road to power.

The numbers underline just how steep the BJP's climb remains. North 24 Parganas alone accounts for 33 seats, South 24 Parganas 31, Howrah 16, Nadia 17, Hooghly 18, Purba Bardhaman 16, while Kolkata's 11 seats carry outsized symbolic weight. These twin districts, North and South 24 Parganas, are often described by political insiders as the "Uttar Pradesh of Bengal", the electoral engine that can make or unmake a government.

In the last assembly election, the TMC swept Kolkata (11/11) and Howrah (16/16), nearly cleaned out South 24 Parganas (30/31) and dominated North 24 Parganas (28/33). The BJP's limited gains came largely in North 24 Parganas and Nadia, driven by Matua and refugee votes, as well as the citizenship debate. That fragile foothold is now the party's best shot at a breakthrough.

For the BJP, this phase is the real test of whether anti-incumbency, corruption allegations and citizenship politics can combine into a decisive breach. "This is where change has to happen," a BJP state leader told PTI. "Without breaking south Bengal, there is no route to power for us. North 24 Parganas, Kolkata and Howrah are the real battlegrounds."

The party's campaign has leaned heavily on corruption charges, infiltration, post-poll violence and women's safety — reinforced by high-decibel rallies and symbolic outreach, including visits to the Matua Thakurbari in Bongaon. Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remark that Central Armed Police Forces would remain in Bengal for 60 days after polling has also fed into the narrative of security and post-poll protection. Political observers say the messaging is aimed squarely at reassuring anti-TMC voters wary of reprisals.

The TMC, in contrast, has doubled down on welfare delivery and identity politics, framing the election as a defence of "Bengal's rights" against what it calls the BJP's central overreach. "This has always been our strongest zone. In 2021 and even in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, people here stood with us. If we retain this belt, Bengal stays with Mamata Banerjee," a senior TMC leader said.

Hovering over the entire phase is the controversy around the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls — now one of the most politically charged fault lines of the election. The scale is striking. North 24 Parganas saw over 12.6 lakh names deleted, South 24 Parganas 10.91 lakh, Kolkata nearly 6.97 lakh, Howrah around six lakh, Hooghly 4.68 lakh and Nadia about 4.85 lakh. In at least 25 constituencies, the number of deleted names exceeds the previous victory margin — raising the possibility that the revision itself could shape not just results, but the narrative that follows.

The TMC alleges targeted deletions affecting minorities, migrants and poor Bengali-speaking voters. The BJP maintains the exercise was necessary to remove bogus entries and correct years of alleged roll distortions.

At the symbolic centre of this phase lies Bhabanipur — a seat that has become far bigger than its boundaries. Here, Banerjee faces Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in what many describe as the "mother of all electoral contests" — effectively a high-stakes rematch of Nandigram, where Adhikari defeated her narrowly in 2021. Bhabanipur is often called "mini India" — a dense mix of Bengalis, Gujaratis, Marwaris, Jains, Sikhs, Muslims and migrants from Bihar and Jharkhand.

For the TMC, holding this seat is about authority — a reaffirmation of Banerjee's dominance in her own backyard. For the BJP, breaching it would be psychological as much as political — puncturing the aura around Bengal's most formidable leader. The intensity reflects that. Banerjee has led padayatras, held closed-door meetings in residential complexes and reached out to Jain temples and Sikh gurdwaras. Adhikari, after polling in Nandigram, has shifted full focus here, with Shah closely monitoring the campaign. Complicating matters further, around 51,000 names — nearly a quarter of the electorate — were deleted from the constituency after the SIR.

As voting unfolds, three questions will define the phase. The first is whether the BJP can convert its northern momentum into a meaningful breach in south Bengal — a region that has historically resisted its advances and remains the TMC's core stronghold. The second is the impact of the SIR controversy. With deletions exceeding past victory margins in several constituencies, the revision of electoral rolls could reshape tight contests and potentially influence not just outcomes, but the post-poll narrative itself. Above all, the central question is whether the TMC can retain its iron grip on the south — the gateway to power — and keep the road to Nabanna firmly in its control.

By the evening of May 29, ballots will be cast. But the real answer — whether the BJP has forced open the gates of south Bengal or Banerjee has once again sealed the road to Nabanna — will only emerge on counting day.