40% of West Bengal Election Winners Garnered Under Half the Votes: ADR

In the 2026 West Bengal elections, 40% of candidates who emerged victorious did so with less than half of the constituency vote share. The ADR report reveals voter turnout reached 93.7%, and winners, on average, represented 47.20% of the electorate compared to 2021's 41.29%.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), alongside West Bengal Election Watch, has unveiled that in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, 40% of winning candidates received fewer than half the votes in their constituencies.

The report studied outcomes in 293 constituencies, discovering a notable voter turnout of 93.7%, markedly higher than the previous election. The results highlighted that winners secured an average vote share of 50.43%, up slightly from 2021. Additionally, the report explored the backgrounds of successful candidates and noted a sizeable portion with declared criminal cases or substantial wealth margin.

The investigation also presented insights on the performance of women candidates and the prevalence of closely contested races in some areas, as well as the impact of NOTA votes, which accounted for 0.78% of total votes.