PM Modi Urges Record Voter Turnout as Phase-2 Polling Begins in West Bengal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged voters to turn out in record numbers as Phase-2 polling of the West Bengal assembly elections 2026 got underway. In a post through X, he made a special appeal to women and young voters to exercise their franchise in large numbers, highlighting their crucial role in strengthening the electoral process. "Today is Phase-2 of the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026. Urging all those voting today to do so in record numbers and make our democracy more vibrant as well as participative. It is important that the women and youth of West Bengal, in particular, turnout in large numbers and exercise their franchise," PM Modi said in a post on X. Voting began on Wednesday across 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, with extensive security arrangements in place and a high-stakes contest unfolding between the ruling TMC and the BJP. The outcome of this phase is expected to be crucial in determining whether the TMC retains its dominance in the southern districts or if the BJP can make significant inroads into the state's power structure. Polling commenced at 7.00 am, with voters queuing up outside booths in Kolkata, Howrah, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Hooghly and Purba Bardhaman, regions that form the political and electoral core of the state. Unlike the first phase, where the BJP focused on defending its gains in north Bengal, the final round shifts the contest squarely to the TMC's stronghold. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the ruling party had secured 123 of these 142 seats, while the BJP managed 18 and the ISF one. At the centre of the contest is Bhabanipur, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's political bastion, where she is locked in a high-profile battle against Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. The contest is being seen as a symbolic rematch of Nandigram, where Adhikari had defeated Banerjee in the 2021 elections. A total of 3.21 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in this phase, including 1.57 crore women and 792 third-gender electors. Voting is taking place across 41,001 polling stations, all of which are under webcasting surveillance to ensure transparency. The Election Commission of India has deployed 2,321 companies of central forces across seven districts, with Kolkata receiving the highest deployment of 273 companies.