Kolkata/Chennai: Voting began on Thursday, April 23, in 152 constituencies in the first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections and all 234 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, amid unprecedented security arrangements and high-stakes battles.
According to the Election Commission, over 3.60 crore electors are eligible to vote in this phase in West Bengal, including around 1.75 crore women and 465 third-gender voters. A record 2,450 companies of central paramilitary forces, comprising nearly 2.5 lakh personnel, have been deployed across the state for the polls, with over 8,000 polling stations identified as highly sensitive.
Tamil Nadu’s electorate is 5.73 crore strong and they will vote in as many as 75,064 polling stations in 33,133 locations to decide the fortunes of 4,023 candidates. The total electorate comprises 2.93 women, 2.83 crore men, and 7,728 third-gender persons.
The Election Commission on Thursday sought a report from officials over allegations that several people were prevented from casting their votes in Murshidabad district’s Domkal during the first phase of the West Bengal assembly polls on Thursday, officials said.
Several voters in Domkal alleged that they were threatened and intimidated, with some claiming they were warned of assault if they attempted to reach polling stations. In Raipur village, under the Domkal Assembly constituency, several people claimed that armed people were staying in the area since early morning, creating an atmosphere of fear.
The allegations were directed at the ruling TMC, though the party did not immediately respond to the charges.
EVM glitches disrupted voting at a few places in West Bengal on Thursday as polling was underway in the first phase of the assembly elections, officials said. In Murshidabad district, polling was halted at booth number 156 in Parsalika Madanmohan Primary School in the Beldanga assembly segment after an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) developed a snag, they said.
At booth number 212 in the Samsherganj assembly constituency, voting did not begin on time because of similar issues. Polling was also delayed at booth number 130 in Kandi, officials added. In Purba Medinipur, an EVM malfunction was reported in Birulia of the Nandigram assembly constituency.
In Cooch Behar, voting at booth number 229 in Town High School was suspended for nearly an hour before resuming. Polling was also delayed at booth number 231 in Malda district’s Habibpur constituency. In Siliguri in Darjeeling district, polling could not start on time at booth number 26/31 in Margaret School because of a faulty EVM.
AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami exuded confidence that his party would return to power.
Speaking to reporters after exercising his franchise in Siluvampalayam in Tamil Nadu’s Salem, the AIADMK general secretary said people should turn up in large numbers and fulfil their democratic obligation today.
As many as 18.76 per cent of voters turned out to cast their ballots till 9 am in the first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and candidate from Tiruchirappalli East and Perambur constituencies Vijay, in a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, appealed to extend polling hours by two hours till 8 pm.
“Extend polling hours by two hours: In view of the large surge of delayed voters due to travel disruptions, and long-queue waiting imperatives, polling must be extended till 8:00 pm across all affected constituencies,” the actor’s letter said.
Voters at booth no 162 in Doddabavi, under Jadayampalayam panchayat in the Mettupalayam Assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu, faced a nearly two-hour wait on Thursday after an EVM malfunction threw polling off schedule.
Assistant Returning Officer Kavitha noted that the machine had shown no problems during the mock poll held before voting was set to begin. Despite this, the control unit failed just as polling was about to get underway at 7 am. Efforts by polling staff to fix the fault on the spot proved unsuccessful, leaving the booth at a standstill with no votes recorded in the opening hours.
The machine was eventually repaired, and polling finally got underway at around 9:15 am.
The night before polling, workers of the Trinamool Congress and CPI(M) came to blows in Raipur village, Domkol, Murshidabad, leaving residents gripped by fear come morning.
Many villagers were reluctant to step out and make their way to polling stations. The situation was brought under control after police and central security forces intervened, eventually escorting residents safely to cast their votes.
Tamil superstars Rajnikanth cast his vote at Stella Maris School in Chennai. MNM chief and actor Kamal Haasan, along with his daughter Shruti Haasan, also exercised their franchise at a polling station in Chennai.
When Kamal Haasan was asked by the media how confident he was of a second term, the actor said, “Yes.”
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK candidate from Kolathur, MK Stalin, arrived at a polling station in Chennai to cast his vote. His family, including his son and Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin, is also with him.
“Just come out and vote. I have been doing this for the last 25 years. My son is voting for the first time,” Stalin said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in separate posts on X, urged people in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu to vote in the crucial polls.
“Do not be deterred by forces that seek to discourage you. Your vote is your voice, and it must be resoundingly heard,” he said. “West Bengal is the proud land of great leaders who stood for Democracy, social justice, equality, and freedom. We need to ensure those ideals remain intact,” he added.
“To Tamil Nadu voters, he saidm “The fight today is to secure your rights. The fight is to protect federalism, rationality, equality, justice and freedom. It is also to ensure inclusive welfare and retain the ideals of social justice espoused by your icons.
With actor S Ajith Kumar casting his vote at the polling station in Thiruvanmiyur in Chennai, fans and admirers gathered in large numbers to catch a glimpse of the star.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram was among the early voters in Tamil Nadu, casting his vote at a polling station in Karaikudi, Sivaganga.
“Youth must vote for secularism and progress,” he said.
West Bengal Leader of Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Nandigram and Bhabanipur, Suvendu Adhikari, cast his vote on Thursday morning.
“If a change does not take place this time, Sanatana in Bengal will be finished. The Election Commission is doing good work, but there are some goons everywhere. Our polling agent has been arrested. Strict action should be taken immediately,” he told mediapersons after exercising his franchise.
With 34 lakh applications pending before them due to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, West Bengal’s 19 electoral tribunals managed to approve just 139 names for inclusion in the voting list ahead of the state’s first-phase polling on Thursday.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) released supplementary lists following a Supreme Court directive requiring the tribunals to process applications up to two days before each of the two polling dates — April 23 and April 29 — and publish the results accordingly.
When the ECI announced the supplementary list for the April 23 phase on Wednesday morning, April 22, it withheld both the complete names and the total number of applications under consideration. Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Agrawal, later confirmed to The Indian Express that 139 names had made it onto the list.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in separate posts on X, urged the electorate to come out and vote in large numbers in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Voting for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election commenced at 7 am amidst tight security with people briskly lining up in front of the polling stations across the state.
The key contenders for power are the ruling DMK and main opposition AIADMK, while actor-politician Vijay-led TVK and Tamil nationalist Seeman-led NTK are putting up a determined fight.
Polling started at 7 am with voters queueing up outside booths in districts ranging from Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri in the north to Murshidabad, Nadia, Birbhum and Hooghly in the south.
This post was last modified on April 23, 2026 10:46 am