Female Voters Drive Record Polling In Bengal And Tamil Nadu

NEW DELHI-The Election Commission of India (ECI) on April 23 reported record voter participation in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and the first phase of polling in West Bengal, with women voters outnumbering men in turnout in both states.

Polling began across both states on April 23. By-elections in select constituencies of Gujarat and Maharashtra were also held. The Election Commission said extensive monitoring and voter facilitation measures were put in place.

Tamil Nadu recorded an overall voter turnout of 84.69 per cent, surpassing its previous high of 78.29 per cent in the 2011 Assembly elections. Female turnout in Tamil Nadu stood at 85.76 per cent, higher than male turnout of 83.57 per cent.

The participation level also marked a sharp rise from 73.63 per cent in the 2021 Assembly elections and 70.14 per cent in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

West Bengal, in Phase-I polling, recorded a turnout of 91.78 per cent till 5 p.m., exceeding its previous high of 84.72 per cent set in 2011. Female turnout in West Bengal stood at 92.69 per cent, compared with 90.92 per cent among male voters.

The Election Commission said the figures reflected strong voter enthusiasm and increasing participation by women in the electoral process.

The elections were conducted on a large logistical scale. Across the two states, a combined electorate of more than 9.33 crore voters was served through over 1.19 lakh polling stations staffed by nearly 6 lakh polling personnel.

Tamil Nadu accounted for all 234 Assembly constituencies and more than 5.7 crore electors, while West Bengal’s first phase covered 152 constituencies with around 3.6 crore voters. (IANS)