Recent Assembly polls see record turnout, but Tripura’s 2013 benchmark remains unmatched

The high voter participation witnessed in the recent Assembly elections across several states has fallen short of the over 93 per cent turnout recorded in the 2013 Tripura Assembly polls, according to Election Commission data.

Tripura, Nagaland and Manipur have historically registered some of the highest polling percentages in Assembly elections, with several instances of voter turnout crossing the 90 per cent mark.

West Bengal, Nagaland and Manipur had all recorded 92.67 per cent turnout in their respective Assembly elections, which remains the highest turnout for those states since Independence.

Tripura continues to hold the national record, with 93.61 per cent voter turnout in the 2013 Assembly elections — the highest ever recorded in any Indian state election.

In the latest round of polls held on April 9, Assam and Puducherry surpassed their previous best turnout figures by recording 85.38 per cent and 89.83 per cent, respectively.

Tamil Nadu also registered a turnout of 84.69 per cent, improving on its earlier highest participation mark of 78.29 per cent recorded in 2011.

Officials noted a significant gender participation trend in Tamil Nadu, where women voters turned out in greater numbers at 85.76 per cent, compared to 83.57 per cent among men.

Similarly, in West Bengal, 92.69 per cent of women voters cast their ballots in the first phase, slightly higher than the 90.92 per cent turnout recorded among men.

Tamil Nadu, where polling was held for all 234 Assembly constituencies on April 23, has an electorate of 5.73 crore voters, while West Bengal, where voting took place in two phases, has nearly 3.6 crore voters.

The figures highlight continued strong voter engagement across states, with women voters playing a particularly prominent role in recent elections.