Election 2026 highlights: Bengal heads for Phase 2 vote, Mamata Banerjee among over 1,000 candidates in fray

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Election 2026 LIVE: Here's all you need to know ahead of Phase 2 vote tomorrow:

• West Bengal is all set for second phase of polling on 142 seats on Wednesday, with over 1,448 candidates in fray, including chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
• The voting on Wednesday will decide the fate of 1,448 candidates, which includes 1,228 men and 220 women. Several prominent candidates are in fray, including Mamata Banerjee, Suvendu Adhikari, Firhad Hakim and several others.
• The first phase of elections on April 23 had seen a record 91.78 per cent polling. The voting on Wednesday will decide electoral fate of 1,448 candidates, which includes 1,228 men and 220 women.
• While over 4.12 lakh first-time voters in the 18-19 age bracket will cast their votes, around 3,200 voters are aged 100 years and above.
• The Election Commission on Tuesday transferred the Joint Block Development Officer (BDO) of Falta in South 24 Parganas district, barely hours before the final and second phase assembly poll in West Bengal, following protests by the ruling TMC in the constituency over the visit of special police observer Ajay Pal Sharma.
• The EC also removed two Additional District Magistrates, one of them in charge of South 24 Parganas district, of poll-related responsibility, but did not cite reasons in another notice on Tuesday night.

Election 2026 LIVE: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is in the fray in the second phase of polls from the Bhabanipur assembly constituency.

Voting for the intense electoral battle in West Bengal will conclude on Wednesday.

She is being challenged by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who is also contesting from Nandigram. The campaigning for the second and final phase of the assembly elections in Bengal ended on Monday.

Election 2026 LIVE: Voting for the intense electoral battle in West Bengal will conclude on Wednesday with over 3.22 crore voters eligible to exercise their franchise in the second phase of assembly polls on 142 seats.

The first phase of elections on April 23 had seen a record 91.78 per cent polling. The voting on Wednesday will decide electoral fate of 1,448 candidates, which includes 1,228 men and 220 women. Election Commission has made all arrangements for smooth conduct of polling process.

Election 2026 LIVE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday warned that the prices of petrol and diesel will be increased after the assembly elections conclude on April 29.

He also attacked the government for allegedly profiteering from low global crude oil prices and said it will now put burden on the public as the prices are rising.

"Election relief over, inflation's heat is on its way! After April 29th, watch out - petrol, diesel, everything will get expensive.

"When (crude) oil was cheap, the Modi government pocketed the profits. Now that it's expensive, it'll dump the burden on you," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.

The second phase of polling in West Bengal will be held on April 29. Assembly polls in Kerala, Assam, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu are already over and the results will be out on May 4.

Notably, a senior official told PTI that the government has no plans to raise petrol and diesel prices, dismissing speculation of a hike after polling in West Bengal ends on April 29.

"There is no proposal to increase petrol and diesel prices," Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said at a news briefing on the fallout of developments in West Asia.

Election 2026 LIVE: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav told ANI, “I campaigned in many assembly constituencies there. The people there want to bring Mamata Banerjee back to power. I am fully confident that TMC will win the elections. Voting is tomorrow... The people have given a lot of love and also placed their trust that they will make Didi (Mamata Banerjee) win. The country's victory lies in the defeat of the BJP.”

Election 2026 LIVE: As West Bengal votes in the second and final phase of the assembly elections on Wednesday, the contest goes beyond electing 142 MLAs across the state’s political core.

It will determine whether the Trinamool Congress can retain its dominance in the south or if the BJP has carved out a credible path to power.

While the first phase on April 23 assessed the BJP’s ability to hold its advantage in north Bengal and nearby regions, the final phase shifts the spotlight to the TMC’s bastions - Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Hooghly and Purba Bardhaman.

The stakes are clear. Of the 142 seats up for grabs, the TMC had secured 123 in 2021, while the BJP won 18 and the ISF one.

Election 2026 LIVE: West Bengal Governor R N Ravi on Tuesday appealed to the people of the state to participate enthusiastically in the second and final phase of the assembly elections on April 29, urging voters, especially the youth, women and first-time electors, to turn out in large numbers and strengthen democracy.

"As the next and final phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections takes place tomorrow, I call upon all voters to participate enthusiastically in this festival of democracy," Ravi said in a statement shared by the Lok Bhavan, Kolkata.

He particularly urged the youth, women and first-time voters to come out in record numbers and cast their votes.

Election 2026 LIVE: Amid a mainly Trinamool Congress (TMC) versus Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) landscape, the Left is attempting a comeback in West Bengal, pitching itself as the only alternative focused on bread-and-butter issues.

At the forefront of this push one of Left Front's promising candidate Dipsita Dhar, whose sharp, direct campaigning style has drawn comparisons with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Speaking to Hindustan Times ahead of the polling in her constituency tomorrow, Dhar said: “We are relevant because we believe we are the only alternative who are talking about pro-people policies. Both Trinamool and BJP, rather than talking about people's development, rather than talking about bread-and-butter issue, about employment, about education, their whole politics had been on the binary of mandir and masjid.”

Read the full interview here.

Election 2026 LIVE: Trinamool Congress on Tuesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s "Bengal Good Bye" remark against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing the Opposition party of wanting to "dismantle" the state.

The BJP had shared a graphic with CM Mamata moving out after the election results on May 4, and it read, "Bengal Good Bye." The TMC has interpreted the social media post as an "open threat" to West Bengal's culture and language and alleged that the BJP wants to homogenise the people of the state.

In post on social media platform X, the TMC reiterated the "Bangla-Birodhi" jibe against the BJP.

The TMC posted, "BJP came to Bengal screaming 'Paltano Dorkar' and 'Poriborton'. Now they are openly saying 'Bengal Good Bye'. This is an open threat to erase everything Bengal stands for. Let us be clear about what 'Bengal Good Bye' really means: Good Bye, Bengal's culture; Good Bye, Bengali language; Good Bye, Bengal's icons; Good Bye, Bengal's history; Good Bye, Bengali literature; Good Bye, Bengal's heritage; Good Bye, Bengali food."

"BJP does not want to govern Bengal. They want to dismantle it. They want to alter who we are at our very core; to replace our identity with their homogenised, monolithic version where there is no room for Bengal's distinctiveness, Bengal's pride or Bengal's soul. They want to change what makes Bengal, Bengal. We cannot allow it. We will not allow it. Do not let Bangla-Birodhi BJP erase who we are. Take a stand," the social media post read.

Election 2026 LIVE: Trinamool Congress supporters staged a protest in Falta of South 24 Parganas district on Tuesday, accusing Election Commission-appointed IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma of the Uttar Pradesh cadre of "intimidating" party workers and leaders ahead of the second phase of polling in West Bengal.

The 2011-batch IPS officer faced protests from TMC supporters, who raised 'Jai Bangla' in front of the residence as well as the election office of local TMC candidate Jahangir Khan, officials said.

Reacting to the development, TMC candidate Khan alluded to the Telugu-language action film 'Pushpa' and the Bollywood cop movie 'Singham' to say he would not allow "BJP-appointed police officials to threaten voters".

"This is Bengal; if he is 'Singham', I am 'Pushpa'. No amount of threat or coercion by the BJP-appointed police officials from Uttar Pradesh will be allowed in Falta," he said on Tuesday. "They came with forces and tried to pressure my people and me. Such actions are not acceptable in a democratic system."

(With PTI inputs)

Election 2026 LIVE: Once voting concludes in West Bengal tomorrow, all eyes will be on the exit poll predictions for the high-stakes contest, along with projections for Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry.

The Election Commission has fixed a specific period during which voter survey results cannot be published. Media organisations have been advised that carrying out or releasing exit polls is banned from 7:00 am on April 9, 2026, until 6:30 pm on April 29, 2026.

As a result, exit poll results for all five regions are likely to be released only after the 6:30 pm deadline on April 29. Viewers can check the exit poll forecasts on television news channels, polling agency websites and their social media platforms.

Hindustan Times will also carry live updates, detailed analysis and constituency-wise projections. These can be viewed on its dedicated election page.

Read more details here.

Election 2026 LIVE: A CRPF team was seen conducting a patrol in Bhabanipur Assembly Constituency ahead of the second phase of West Bengal elections.

“A large number of CRPF personnel are patrolling all the constituencies of Kolkata, the routes for public movement from all the polling stations, hyper-sensitive and normal booths... If there were any goons, they have either hidden or changed their location because they are not here…,” an official was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Election 2026 LIVE: The BJP is confident of unseating the Trinamool from power in Bengal. Ahead of the second phase of voting on Wednesday, Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya said, "On May 4th, Didi will be removed from power...The public has made up its mind... People are coming out everywhere, saying that after a long time, we can vote without fear...".

Election 2026 LIVE: A plea filed in the Calcutta High Court has reportedly alleged that the Election Commission failed to adhere to an earlier order on action against "troublemakers" in view of the West Bengal assembly polls.

In a plea before a division bench presided by Chief Justice Sujoy Paul, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee claimed that the commission prepared a fresh list of around 350 people for action against them, reported PTI.

Election 2026 LIVE: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with his wife Sonal Shah, on Tuesday offered prayers at Somnath Temple in Prabhas Patan near Veraval. The development comes a day before Bengal heads for polls for the final phase.

Election 2026 LIVE: Altogether 1,468 people, who have been added to the West Bengal electoral rolls following the SIR-linked tribunal orders, will be able to vote in the second phase of Bengal elections, PTI reported on Tuesday. "Electors whose appeals were disposed of by the appellate tribunals till April 27 have been included in a supplementary roll, and they will be able to vote in the second phase," an EC official told PTI.

Election 2026 LIVE: Amid the ongoing row over the deployment of IPS Ajay Pal Sharma as election observer in Bengal, CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) personnel conducted a search in Falta Assembly constituency under his leadership.

Election 2026 LIVE: The controversy over the deployment of IPS Ajay Pal Sharma in Bengal as election observer is heating up. Senior TMC leaders and ministers alleged that the IPS officer was overstepping his role.

"This is Bengal; if he is 'Singham', I am 'Pushpa'. No amount of threat or coercion by the BJP-appointed police officials from Uttar Pradesh will be allowed in Falta," he said on Tuesday. “They came with forces and tried to pressure my people and me. Such actions are not acceptable in a democratic system,” said TMC candidate Jahangir Khan, as quoted by PTI.

Election 2026 LIVE: TMC candidate from Dum Dum Uttar Assembly Constituency Chandrima Bhattacharya questioned the deployment of IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma in Bengal as an election observer.

“I want to ask, what is an encounter. Suppose the police have someone in their custody for a crime, and that person escapes, then you go for an encounter, but there are laws for even that situation… So, how can they talk about encounter…," she said.

Election 2026 LIVE: As the politics in Bengal heats up ahead of the final phase of voting, a name has emerged at the centre of a new controversy - IPS Ajay Sharma, popularly known as Uttar Pradesh's ‘encounter specialist’.

Sharma's deployment in Bengal has sparked a row between the incumbent Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. While the BJP and the ECI said that Sharma has been deployed to ensure “free and fair voting” in the state, the Trinamool Congress and also Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the BJP is trying to tilt the vote in their favour by "deploying agents" to intimidate voters.

Election 2026 LIVE: While movement of vehicles has been restricted in Bengal along the Bangladesh border routes, there are exemptions in case of medical emergencies, voters returning to exercise their franchise, and transport of perishable goods.

Election 2026 LIVE: The movement of people and vehicles on the Bangladesh border routes in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district has been restricted ahead of the final phase of voting in Bengal tomorrow, news agency PTI reported.

"…this order restraining the movement of both people and vehicles for exit to Bangladesh and entry to Indian territory from Bangladesh in any constituency under the North 24 Parganas district with effect from 6 pm on April 26 till completion of the polling process," the district magistrate said.

Election 2026 LIVE: National Investigation Agency (NIA) teams have spread across districts in Bengal, including Hoogly, Kolkata and South 24 Parganas.

According to ANI, the probe agency is investigating the cases of recovery of crude bombs, illegal arms and ammunitions. “Teams are also on ground to immediately respond if a situation arises during, after or before polling,” NIA officials were quoted as saying.