Kolkata: The Election Commission’s revised polling data released on Friday shows that Bengal’s first-phase poll turnout, besides breaking all records in percentage terms, has also increased in absolute terms over the 2021 figure despite the SIR process shrinking the total electorate.Nearly 24 lakh more people voted in the 152 constituencies spread over 16 districts on Thursday compared to the 2021 figure collated from the same seats. More than 3.35 crore voters exercised their franchise this time; the figure in 2021 was 3.11 crore.This surge came despite the voter count dropping by 18 lakh in these 152 seats. They had 3.78 crore voters in 2021; this time, after SIR, the figure dropped to 3.6 crore.The updated EC figures show 14 of the 16 districts (all except Kalimpong and Darjeeling) recorded over 90% polling. Cooch Behar was at the top with 96%, closely followed by South Dinajpur (95.4%), Jalpaiguri (94.6%), Birbhum (94.5%) and Malda (94.4%). Murshidabad, where SIR reduced the number of voters by over 7 lakh, recorded a high 93.6% polling as well. Almost all these districts have a huge chunk of voters working in blue-collar jobs in other statesAlmost all these districts have a huge chunk of voters working in blue-collar jobs in other states. Conversations with voters in all these districts have indicated that the record-busting surge in turnout has been fuelled largely by these people returning home — often spending thousands of rupees on travel and losing their daily wages — to exercise their franchise. Almost everyone voiced fears that not voting in a cycle dominated by the SIR exercise might lead to deletion of their names from the voters’ roll.Cooch Behar’s Sitalkuchi — which saw four deaths in CISF firing during the 2021 poll — topped the turnout percentage list among constituencies, with 97.5% of electors voting. Shamsherganj in Murshidabad, which saw 91,712 names deleted in the SIR exercise (the highest in Bengal), recorded 96.1% polling.Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal on Thursday had explained that the exclusion of non-existent voters (ASDD or absent, shifted, dead/duplicate) had reduced the overall electorate, thereby contributing to a higher polling percentage. Significantly, however, Friday’s EC figures show a voter surge even in absolute terms.All nine assembly constituencies in Cooch Behar clocked over 94% polling and five of the six assembly constituencies in South Dinajpur recorded over 95% turnout; Kushmandi topped with 96.5%. Chanchal led the charge in Malda with a 95.5% turnout.
