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How women voters powered BJP’s Bengal win: Party swept 57 of 64 seats with higher female turnout

The BJP flipped 39 of these constituencies from the TMC, pointing to a major shift in women-backed voting patterns since 2021.

Women cheer during the swearing-in ceremony of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, unseen, as he becomes West Bengal's first BJP Chief Minister, at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata, West Bengal. (PMO via PTI Photo) Women cheer during the swearing-in ceremony of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, unseen, as he becomes West Bengal's first BJP Chief Minister, at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata, West Bengal. (PMO via PTI Photo)

Women voters appear to have driven the BJP to victory on more than a quarter of its 207-seat tally in the West Bengal Assembly elections.

An analysis of the poll results from the state, released by the Election Commission on Friday, shows that while women voters outnumbered men in a little less than a third of West Bengal’s 294 Assembly constituencies, the BJP emerged victorious in the bulk of those seats.

In as many as 64 Assembly seats, more women exercised their franchise compared to male voters over the two poll phases. Of these, the BJP emerged victorious on 57 (retaining 19 from its 2021 tally) while Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress won only seven.

Of the 57 seats won by the BJP this time, the TMC had won 39 in the 2021 Assembly polls. Twenty-nine of these 57 seats went to the polls in phase 1 on April 23 and 28 saw polling in the second phase on April 29.

The constituencies swept by the BJP include 15 reserved seats; only two of such reserved seats went to the TMC’s kitty.

Women constitute 3.16 crore of the state’s 6.44 crore voters in the revised electoral rolls following the SIR exercise in West Bengal ahead of the Assembly elections.

In terms of voting, women accounted for 3.11 crore or 48.79% of the 6.38 crore votes polled during the elections; male voters accounted for 50.35% or 3.21 crore. In 2021, the female-male voter ratio was 3.59 crore against 3.74 crore.

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While Kandi recorded the highest margin (14,518) of difference between women and male voters — 1,06,228 women and 91,710 men exercised their franchise — the Mal seat saw the lowest difference of 35 as 1,11,816 women and 1,11,781 men voted in the polls.

In 2021, with 48.59% of the total vote share, the TMC had won 217 of the 294 Assembly seats, while the BJP with 38.1% vote share secured 77 seats. This time, the BJP’s 45.84% vote share resulted in its seat tally going up to 207, while the TMC won 80 seats with a vote share of 41.14%.

Constituency 2021 Winner 2026 Winner
KALCHINI (ST) BJP BJP
MADARIHAT (ST) BJP BJP
MAL (ST) TMC BJP
NAGRAKATA (ST) BJP BJP
DARJEELING BJP BJP
KURSEONG BJP BJP
MATIGARA-NAXALBARI (SC) BJP BJP
RAIGANJ BJP BJP
BALURGHAT BJP BJP
MALDAHA (SC) BJP BJP
ENGLISH BAZAR BJP BJP
SAMSERGANJ TMC TMC
NABAGRAM (SC) TMC BJP
KHARGRAM (SC) TMC BJP
BURWAN (SC) TMC BJP
KANDI TMC BJP
BHARATPUR TMC TMC
BAHARAMPUR BJP BJP
KRISHNANAGAR UTTAR BJP BJP
RANAGHAT DAKSHIN (SC) BJP BJP
BAGDA (SC) BJP BJP
NOAPARA TMC BJP
DUM DUM UTTAR TMC BJP
PANIHATI TMC BJP
KAMARHATI TMC TMC
BARANAGAR TMC BJP
DUM DUM TMC BJP
BIDHANNAGAR TMC BJP
RAJARHAT GOPALPUR TMC BJP
BARASAT TMC BJP
BARUIPUR PASCHIM TMC TMC
SONARPUR DAKSHIN TMC BJP
KASBA TMC TMC
JADAVPUR TMC BJP
SONARPUR UTTAR TMC BJP
TOLLYGANJ TMC BJP
BEHALA PURBA TMC BJP
BEHALA PASCHIM TMC BJP
RASHBEHARI TMC BJP
SHIBPUR TMC BJP
UTTARPARA TMC BJP
CHAMPDANI TMC BJP
SINGUR TMC BJP
CHANDANNAGAR TMC BJP
CHUNCHURA TMC BJP
PANDUA TMC BJP
SAPTAGRAM TMC BJP
HARIPAL TMC BJP
DHANEKHALI (SC) TMC TMC
TARAKESWAR TMC BJP
KHANAKUL BJP BJP
RAMNAGAR TMC BJP
JHARGRAM TMC BJP
KHARAGPUR SADAR BJP BJP
DEBRA TMC BJP
DASPUR TMC BJP
GHATAL (SC) BJP BJP
MEDINIPUR TMC BJP
BINPUR (ST) TMC BJP
BANKURA BJP BJP
BARDHAMAN DAKSHIN TMC BJP
BARDHAMAN UTTAR (SC) TMC TMC
MAYURESWAR TMC BJP
RAMPURHAT TMC BJP

Jatin Anand is an Assistant Editor with the national political bureau of The Indian Express. With over 16 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is a seasoned expert in national governance, electoral politics, and bureaucratic affairs. Having covered high-stakes beats including the Election Commission of India (ECI), intelligence, and urban development, Jatin provides authoritative analysis of the forces shaping Indian democracy. He is an alumnus of Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU) and the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, where he specialized in Print Journalism. Expertise High-Stakes Beat Coverage: Throughout his decade-and-a-half career, Jatin has covered some of the most sensitive and influential beats in the country, including: The Election Commission of India (ECI): Monitoring electoral policy, reforms, and the conduct of national and state polls. National Security & Intelligence: Reporting on the internal mechanisms and developments within India's security apparatus. Urban Development: Analyzing the policies and bureaucratic processes driving the transformation of India’s cities. National Political Bureau: In his current role, he tracks the intersection of policy and politics, offering deep-dive reporting on the Union government and national political movements. Academic Credentials: Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU): Alumnus of one of Delhi's premier institutions. Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai: Specialized in Print Journalism at India's most prestigious journalism school. ... Read More

 

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