Kolkata

Sudip Bandyopadhyay on Tuesday said security arrangements during polling were not a concern for the All India Trinamool Congress, while expressing confidence that the party would once again win all 11 seats in Kolkata.

Speaking to ANI, Bandyopadhyay said the TMC had secured all 11 Kolkata seats in the previous election and was optimistic of repeating the performance this time. He said peaceful voting was welcome if security arrangements were strict, but criticised the Election Commission of India over the alleged deletion of lakhs of votes.

Polling for the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 was underway on Wednesday across 142 assembly constituencies. According to ECI data, the state recorded a voter turnout of 61.11 per cent till 1 pm.

Hooghly district reported the highest turnout at 64.57 per cent, followed by Howrah district at 60.68 per cent. Kolkata North recorded 60.18 per cent polling, while Kolkata South saw 57.73 per cent turnout. Nadia district registered 61.41 per cent participation.

The principal contest in the state remains between the TMC and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The second phase is being viewed as crucial for the ruling party as voting has moved into its traditional strongholds in South Bengal and Kolkata.

A total of around 3.21 crore voters are eligible in this phase, with 1,448 candidates in the fray across 41,001 polling stations, including more than 8,000 booths managed entirely by women.

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The results will be announced on May 4.