India's electoral landscape witnessed a historic surge in participation as West Bengal and Tamil Nadu registered their highest-ever voter turnout since Independence during the first phase of polling, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced on Thursday.
Hailing the massive voter response, Kumar described it as a strong reaffirmation of democratic spirit.
“The highest-ever polling percentage in both states since Independence—ECI salutes every voter who came out to vote,” he said.
West Bengal led with a remarkable turnout of 91.78%, while Tamil Nadu followed with an equally robust 84.69%.
In Tamil Nadu alone, nearly 4.84 crore voters exercised their franchise out of an electorate of 5.73 crore across all 234 constituencies.
District-level data reflected varied participation trends. Karur emerged as the top performer with 91.97%, followed by Salem at 90.23%.
On the lower end, Kanyakumari recorded 75.50%, with Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi also trailing the state average.
Polling saw strong momentum during the morning hours and remained steady through early afternoon.
A temporary slowdown between 1 pm and 3 pm was attributed to intense summer heat, but voter turnout rebounded later in the day.
In several constituencies, voting extended beyond official hours, with authorities issuing tokens to those in queues before the 6 pm deadline—ensuring that every eligible voter present could cast their ballot.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
