Nadia (West Bengal) [India], April 29 : Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra on Wednesday termed the West Bengal assembly elections a "fight to save democracy," alleging deletion of voters and expressing confidence that people will respond with a high turnout.
Speaking after casting her vote at polling booth number 120 at Karimpur Girls High School in Nadia, Moitra said, "Because the ECI has said not to come by motorbike. So we have come by TOTO."
"This time, we are engaged in the fight to save democracy. 2.7 million (27 lakh) voters have been deleted, and the remaining voters will definitely vote 100%. That's why the voting percentage is bound to be very high. It's simple mathematics. People are voting for revenge because they will give a befitting reply to the joke the Central Government and the Election Commission have played," she further said.
The second and final phase of the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 has officially commenced, preceded by rigorous mock polls across the state's high-stakes corridors.
The scale of the final phase is massive, covering nearly half of the state's total assembly seats, 142 (out of 294).
The total electorate is around 3.21 crore (Male: 1,64,35,627 and Female: 1,57,37,418 and Third Gender: 792). 1,448 candidates are in the fray, including 220 women at 41,001 polling stations, with over 8,000 managed entirely by women.
The second phase of polling is crucial in shaping the electoral trajectory in the state, with 142 constituencies in Bengal going to vote. Authorities have put in place elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth and peaceful polling across regions.
After a record-shattering voter turnout in the first phase, West Bengal enters its second and final phase of polling today. This round is widely seen as the "litmus test" for the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), as voting moves into the party's traditional fortresses in South Bengal and Kolkata.