Security personnel stand guard outside the counting centre at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, West Bengal, on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
West Bengal heads into verdict day today (May 4, 2026) after over a month of frenzied campaigning, as it waits with bated breath to see whether the TMC manages to hold on to power or the BJP makes a historic breakthrough and claims the State for the first time.
As the EVMs open at 8 a.m., the CPI(M) and the Congress will be watching with equal keenness, hoping to reclaim a foothold in the State’s electoral map after five years in the wilderness, following their wipeout in the 2021 polls.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday (May 2, 2026) appointed 165 additional counting observers and 77 police observers for counting of votes polled during West Bengal Assembly election on May 4. The directions by the Commission assume significance as the past few days saw the Trinamool Congress leadership, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, raising allegations of possible irregularities at the counting centres.
Also read: An SIR-marred turnout in West Bengal
This year the State saw a turnout of 92.8% in the first phase on April 23, while the second recorded 91.47 % polling on April 29 — the highest in the State since Independence, according to the State’s Chief Electoral Officer. However the SIR exercise, which happened in a highly controversial manner in West Bengal, brought down the electorate by nearly 11% from 7.66 crore to 6.82 crore.
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