New Delhi, Apr 23 (UNI) Assembly poll turnout picked up sharply by late morning on Thursday, with Tamil Nadu recording 37.56% and West Bengal’s Phase-1 constituencies logging 41.11% as of 11:00 am, according to the Election Commission of India’s ECINET dashboard for April 23, 2026.
The figures mark a substantial rise from the early trends reported at 9:00 am, when Tamil Nadu stood at 17.69% and West Bengal Phase-1 at 18.76%, indicating brisk polling activity through the first four hours.
Voting began at 7:00 am in both states for the April 23 round of assembly elections. Tamil Nadu is voting in a single phase for all 234 seats, while West Bengal’s election is staggered, with Thursday’s Phase-1 covering select constituencies under heavy central force deployment.
The early doubling of turnout between 9:00 am and 11:00 am aligns with typical polling patterns, as urban and rural voters turn out in larger numbers after the first hour. Poll officials said queues were visible at multiple booths in Chennai, Coimbatore, Kolkata, and north Bengal districts, with no major law-and-order incidents reported till late morning.
The ECI has been releasing provisional trends through the day via the ECINET app and Voter Helpline portal. Final polling percentages will be confirmed only after close of poll at 6:00 pm and subsequent scrutiny of Form 17A data from all booths. Both states completed Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls earlier this year, with Bihar’s SIR exercise showing 87% distribution of enumeration forms as of July 2025.
Thursday’s polling is being closely watched for its implications on the national political balance ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and amid ongoing Parliament debates on delimitation and women’s reservation. With West Bengal’s 294 seats and Tamil Nadu’s 234 seats at stake, the turnout trajectory through the day will be key to reading voter engagement. Counting for these assembly elections has been scheduled to be held on May 4.
Voter turnout gains pace in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal; crosses 37% and 41% by 11 am
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