Congress Upbeat Over High Polling Percentage In Tamil Nadu, Terms It 'Good For Democracy' In West Bengal
The party's strategists said the impact of controversial SIR was visible in the two states.
Published : April 23, 2026 at 8:32 PM IST
New Delhi: Upbeat over the high voting percentage in Tamil Nadu, Congress' strategists claimed that the better voter turnout will work in favour of the ruling DMK-led alliance.
The party's strategists are also upbeat over record high voting in West Bengal phase 1 elections but were guarded in their response saying the trend could either be due to welfare schemes of the ruling TMC or due to polarisation of the electorate. In both the states, the Congress strategists noted that the impact of the controversial summary intensive revision (SIR) of the voter list was visible but cited different reasons for the same.
All 234 Assembly seats went to polls in Tamil Nadu on Thursday. As per initial reports, the polling percentage till 5 pm was around 80 per cent and the number was bound to go up in the final estimate. In the 2021 elections, Tamil Nadu's voter turnout was 73.63 per cent.
The Congress contested on 28 seats as part of the DMK-led alliance that saw 21 parties come together for the first time in the southern state. The grand old party's managers said the high polling percentage was a 'pro-government vote'. “This is a vote in favour of the DMK-led government, its welfare schemes and the promises the alliance made for another term. The gathering of 21 parties under the alliance reflected the mood of the voters. The secular alliance will form the next government,” AICC in-charge of Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar told ETV Bharat.
The AICC functionary further said the high voting percentage in Tamil Nadu was due to controversial SIR that had been opposed by the ruling alliance as it led to removal of around 97 lakh names from the voter list. “The impact of SIR is there. Due to the exercise, the rolls were cleaned up. Hence, a higher voting percentage. However, the 2026 polling should not be compared to 2021 data as the rolls were different then,” said Chodankar.
Even as the AICC functionary claimed the ruling DMK-led alliance was headed for a second term, he said making an assessment whether the AIADMK-BJP combine or the debutante TVK led by actor turned politician Vijay was a bit difficult on the polling day.
Before the Congress-DMK seat sharing was finalised after hard bargaining for weeks, there were reports that the grand old party may forge a pact with TVK which was reportedly gaining traction among the voters. “We have feedback that in some urban areas, the TVK has done well but it is not possible to assess whether TVK or NDA would be the runner up in state elections. But it is certain that the AIADMK is getting hit as they joined hands with the BJP which is not preferred by the state voters,” said Chodankar.
In West Bengal, where 152/294 assembly seats went to polls in the high-stakes phase 1 election for the ruling TMC as well as for the opposition BJP, the Congress described the record high 90 per cent voting percentage as a good sign. In the 2021 elections, West Bengal had recorded 80 per cent voting. “Such record high voting is good for democracy,” AICC in-charge of West Bengal Ghulam Ahmed Mir told ETV Bharat.
The Congress, which contested all 294 seats for the first time, had presented itself as an alternative to both the TMC and the BJP whom it described as two sides of the same coin. The TMC led by chief minister Mamata Banerjee is eyeing a fourth consecutive term while the rival BJP is rooting for a change in the state.
“Usually, such a high voting percentage is seen as a vote against the sitting government. But this seems like a new trend in the state. So, the high voter turnout could be due to the welfare schemes of the government or due to polarisation of the electorate,” said Mir. The AICC functionary said the impact of the controversial SIR was visible in West Bengal.
“The SIR led to the deletion of lakhs of names. After the intervention of the top court, around 28 lakh appeals were filed but only a few were cleared. The large-scale removal of names created apprehension in the minds of the remaining voters who thought they might be deprived of the various social welfare schemes if they did not cast their vote. Hence, the high voter turnout in phase 1. I hope the trend will continue in phase 2 as well,” said Mir.
The AICC functionary noted that the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi played a major role in ensuring high voter turnout in West Bengal. “I would like to credit our leader Rahul Gandhi for flagging the ‘vote theft’ issue which meant manipulation of voter lists to benefit the BJP across the country,” added Mir.
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