29 April,2026 03:14 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Mithun Chakraborty Pic/PTI
The second and final phase of the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 began on Wednesday, 29 April. Actor and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mithun Chakraborty was among the early voters. He interacted with reporters as he cast his ballot in East Kolkata's Belgachia.
The actor was spotted standing in the queue with other voters as polling started. His presence drew attention at the booth, but the actor chose to wait like any other citizen before casting his vote.
After voting, Chakraborty spoke to the media and said he had not asked for any special arrangements and stood in the queue "like an ordinary voter."
"Just like any regular citizen, I haven't requested any special treatment whatsoever. I am confident that the voting process will be carried out smoothly, and I appreciate the Election Commission for ensuring everything is in place. I firmly believe the election will proceed successfully," the actor told reporters.
Talking about the voter turnout, the BJP leader said he hoped for a high voter turnout as was witnessed in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly polls.
"I hope, watching the trend, voting will be higher than 90 percent. And if that is the case, you can predict what will happen."
Polling percentage in the first four hours till 11 am on Wednesday in the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections stood at 39.97 percent.
This is slightly lower than the 41.1 percent recorded in the first four hours of the first phase on April 23. East Burdwan district recorded the highest polling at 44.50 percent, followed by Hooghly at 43.12 percent.
The current turnout is substantially higher than the 28.10 percent average recorded during the same period in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
In the morning, BJP and TMC agents reportedly clashed at booth numbers 147 and 148 at the Ramchandrapur Adarsha Bidyabhaban polling station in the Khanakul assembly Constituency.
According to Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Sub-Inspector Usha, voting in the region has resumed peacefully following the "minor incident".
Several other cases of clashes and violence have been reported from different parts of West Bengal. A violent clash erupted in the morning near the primary high school in the Hatra Bazaar area of Nadia district between workers of TMC and the Indian Secular Front.
