Turnout of voters in West Bengal rose to 93.7%, while nearly 5 lakh voters opted for NOTA.
NEW DELHI — A report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and West Bengal Election Watch has revealed that nearly 40 per cent of candidates who won the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections secured victory with less than 50 per cent of the votes polled in their constituencies.
The report analysed results from 293 of the 294 constituencies, excluding Falta. It noted that voter turnout stood at 93.7 per cent, significantly higher than the 82.3 per cent recorded in the 2021 Assembly elections.
According to the findings, winning candidates secured an average of 50.43 per cent of the total votes polled, marginally higher than the 50.16 per cent recorded in 2021. A total of 175 candidates (60 per cent) won with more than 50 per cent vote share, while 118 (40 per cent) secured victory with less than half of the votes.
On average, winners represented 47.20 per cent of the total registered electorate, an increase from 41.29 per cent in the previous Assembly polls.
The ADR analysis also examined the link between candidates’ backgrounds and electoral performance. Among the 191 winners with declared criminal cases, 121 (63 per cent) secured more than 50 per cent vote share, and 107 of them defeated runners-up with clean records. In comparison, 51 of the 102 winners with clean backgrounds defeated candidates with declared criminal cases.
Similarly, 62 out of 179 crorepati winners defeated non-crorepati runners-up.
The report highlighted closely contested races in several constituencies, with five winners securing victory margins of less than 1,000 votes. In contrast, only three candidates won by margins exceeding 40 per cent of the vote.
In terms of women’s representation, 37 of the 293 winners were women, all of whom secured more than 35 per cent vote share. BJP’s Sikha Chatterjee from Dabgram-Fulbari recorded the highest vote share among women candidates at 66 per cent, along with a victory margin of 39 per cent.
Among the 102 re-elected MLAs, none won with less than 30 per cent vote share, while 64 (63 per cent) secured more than 50 per cent. However, 35 returning legislators won by margins of less than 10 per cent.
On the use of the None of the Above (NOTA) option, the report stated that 4,94,932 votes — accounting for 0.78 per cent of the total 6.37 crore votes polled — were cast in favour of NOTA.
