Phase 1 of Bengal Elections: Massive Security Deployment as TMC, BJP Face Off in 152 Seats
Kolkata, April 23, 2026 — The wait is finally over. After weeks of aggressive, high-decibel campaigning, the first and most critical phase of the West Bengal Assembly Elections commences today. Polling will take place across 152 constituencies spread evenly across 16 districts—eight in North Bengal and eight in South Bengal.
With approximately 3.6 crore eligible voters expected to cast their ballots, today’s voting will decide the political fate of 1,478 candidates, setting the tone for the rest of the tightly contested state elections.
The Heavyweight Battles
The election remains a fierce, high-voltage contest primarily between Mamata Banerjee’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led nationally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Meanwhile, a resurgent Left-Congress alliance is attempting to reclaim its lost bastions, particularly in the tea gardens of North Bengal and the rural belts of Jungle Mahal.
All eyes today will be on several prestige battles:
Nandigram: The epicenter of Bengal politics, where BJP heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari is fighting to retain the seat he famously won against Mamata Banerjee in 2021.
Baharampur: Congress veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury marks his highly anticipated return to state assembly politics.
Other Key Seats: Dinhata (TMC’s Udayan Guha), Kharagpur Sadar (BJP’s Dilip Ghosh), and Asansol Dakshin (BJP’s Agnimitra Paul) will also see intense polling today.
Unprecedented Security and AI Surveillance
Given Bengal’s history of poll-related violence, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has rolled out unprecedented security measures. A staggering 2,407 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed across the 152 constituencies to ensure a free and fair electoral process.
To further curb malpractices, the ECI has implemented 100% webcasting across all 44,376 polling stations (which includes 41,418 main booths). Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal has declared a strict “zero tolerance” policy, heavily relying on Artificial Intelligence. These “AI Eyes” are programmed to trigger instant alerts for overcrowding or booth jamming, which will result in an immediate repoll. Over 8,000 booths in Murshidabad, Malda, and Cooch Behar have been flagged as “Super-Sensitive.”
Political Sparring Continues
The eve of the election was marked by intense political sparring. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the massive central deployment, alleging that the BJP-led Centre was using all government wings to its advantage. “Except for Rafale fighter jets, everything else has been deployed,” she remarked sarcastically at a rally.
The TMC has also raised strong objections to what they term “preventive arrests” orchestrated by ECI police observers. TMC MP Rajeev Kumar claimed that over 500 arrests were made on verbal orders, a move the party intends to challenge legally.
Conversely, the BJP has mounted a relentless campaign focusing on allegations of corruption, the ‘syndicate raj’, and the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that saw millions of names deleted from the electoral rolls.
As the voters line up outside the booths today, the political landscape of West Bengal hangs in the balance. The remaining 142 constituencies in and around Kolkata will vote in the second phase on April 29, with the final counting scheduled for May 4.
