Polling officials carry electoral material as they board a bus for their respective polling stations from a distribution centre, ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, in Birbhum distric on April 22, 2026 | Photo Credit: PTI One hundred and fifty-two assembly seats spread across 16 districts of West Bengal will go to polls in the first phase of the elections on Thursday (April 23, 2026). About 3.6 crore electors will determine the fate of 1,478 candidates in the fray across these 152 seats. Eight of the districts going to elections are in north Bengal and eight in south Bengal. The Election Commission of India has deployed a record number of about 2,407 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces for the first phase of polling. On Wednesday, as polling personnel across the 16 districts collected polling materials, including EVMs, and reached polling venues, the political parties continued to trade charges. Published – April 23, 2026 02:00 am IST Share this: Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email More Click to print (Opens in new window) Print Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon Click to share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky Like this:Like Loading... Post navigation ‘The Pitt’ Season 2 review: Sanctimonious heroics nearly derail a a clinically sharp second shift From The Hindu Archives, April 23, 1926: Medical facilities at Nandi Hills