West Bengal Phase 1 Polling LIVE: PM's 'sacred duty' appeal to voters as polling on 152 seats begins

For the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), north Bengal seems to be the key against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) to remain in contention for the 2026 assembly elections. For the TMC, it is important to stop a BJP sweep in this region before the second phase polling on April 29.

Out of the 152 assembly constituencies where polling underway, the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) won 59 seats against Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s 93. It is worth noting that the BJP had won 77 seats across West Bengal in the 2021 assembly elections.

Long queues of voters formed outside a polling station in Asansol as polling for the first phase of West Bengal assembly elections gets underway.

The first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections is set to be held on Thursday (April 23) with 152 seats across north Bengal, west Bengal and parts of south Bengal going to the polls. The remaining 142 constituencies will vote on April 29 and the results will be announced on 4 May. The election is shaping up to be a direct contest between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Mamata Banerjee and a resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Several high-profile candidates from both sides have taken centre stage which has intensified the political battle across the state. Click here to read more.

EVM malfunctioning has been reported in some parts of West Bengal, as phase one of polling has started in the state.

Organisational District: Behrampore-Murshidabad 
AC Name: KANDI 
Block/Municipality Name: Kandi Block
GP/Ward: Kumarsanda
Booth Number: 19

Issue: The EVM machine is malfunctioning

Organisational District: Malda
AC Name: Chanchal
Block/Municipality Name: Chanchal 1
GP/Ward: Motiharpur 
Booth Number:211

Issue: EVM not working

Organisational District: Alipurduar 
AC Name: kalchini
Block/Municipality Name: kalchini
GP/Ward:Mendabari
Booth Number: 205

Issue: EVM Machine is not working

People queue up outside a polling station in Siliguri as they await their turn to cast a vote for West Bengal assembly elections.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is also party's candidate from the Berhampore seat, hoped that the results will be positive for him and the grand old party. He also pointed out that there is a lot of anti-incumbency in the Murshidabad district.

"The ruling party has spent crores in campaigning, however, I believe that we will be successful in getting back our lost ground to a great extent," he told news agency PTI. "You people can differentiate between the ruling party and BJP but I don't see much of a difference between them. They both are elected autocrat."

As the phase one of voting started in West Bengal, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari hoped that the polling will be peaceful, while also urging people to vote for the saffron party. 

"Hoping for peaceful polls, nobody will be able to create chaos as paramilitary forces are deployed," he said, while thanking the central forces.

As polling started in West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged the citizens, particularly the youth, to participate in "this festival of democracy" with their full strength.

"Phase 1 of the West Bengal Assembly elections takes place today. I urge all citizens to participate in this festival of democracy with full strength. I especially appeal to my young friends and to the women of West Bengal to vote in large numbers," he posted on X.

The polling for phase one of West Bengal Assembly elections has started!

The polling in West Bengal for phase 1 will start shortly. It is worth noting that polling in this phase will be held on 152 assembly constituencies, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The security has been tightened in Asansol, West Bengal, where polling for phase 1 will begin shortly. Here's a visual from outside a polling booth.

The first phase of the West Bengal Assembly Election 2026 is scheduled to take place on April 23 (Thursday), covering 152 constituencies across north Bengal and parts of south Bengal, including the politically significant Nandigram seat. According to data from the Election Commission of India, nearly 3.60 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in this phase. This includes around 1.84 crore male voters, 1.75 crore female voters, and 465 third-gender electors. Click here to read more.

Mock polling is being conducted in Siliguri, West Bengal, where polling for phase one will start shortly. Here are some visuals from Siliguri Girls High School, which is polling station number 26.

Mock polling is underway in Birbhum where polling will be held shortly. Here's a look at the visuals.

For the polling on 152 assembly constituencies in West Bengal, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has deployed 2,450 companies of central armed forces to ensure that voting is conducted peacefully.

As per the Election Commission of India (ECI), more than 3.60 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in phase one polling in West Bengal. This including 1.75 crore women voters.

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the phase one polling will start at 7 am and continue till 6 pm in West Bengal.   

The phase one polling in West Bengal will see 152 assembly constituencies going to vote on Thursday. This includes 54 seats in eight districts of north Bengal and several constituencies in Murshidabad, Nadia, Birbhum and Hooghly.