Kolkata, April 11 According to data released by the Election Commission on Saturday, more than 3.6 crore voters across 16 districts will be eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections on April 23.
The electoral rolls for the first phase include 1.84 crore males, 1.75 crore females, and 465 people of the third gender, according to the EC data.
Among the districts, Murshidabad has the highest number of voters at 50.26 lakh, followed by Purba Medinipur at 41.60 lakh and Paschim Medinipur at 37.70 lakh. At the other end, Kalimpong has the lowest number of voters at 2.01 lakh.
Polling will be held for 152 seats in the first phase, while 142 seats in the second phase will vote on April 29. The vote counting will take place on May 4.
In northern Bengal, Cooch Behar has 22.63 lakh electors, while Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar have 17.19 lakh and 11.64 lakh voters, respectively. Darjeeling district accounts for 11.10 lakh voters, according to EC data.
Uttar Dinajpur has 19.68 lakh electors, while Dakshin Dinajpur has 11.59 lakh voters. Malda district has 27.91 lakh voters.
Among the western districts, Bankura has 29.19 lakh electors, Purulia has 22.52 lakh voters, and Jhargram has 9.10 lakh electors. Paschim Bardhaman accounts for 19.65 lakh voters, while Birbhum has 26.91 lakh electors.
An EC official said the electoral rolls have been "updated after due revision and verification to ensure maximum accuracy and inclusiveness".
"All necessary measures have been taken to ensure that eligible voters can participate in the democratic process without inconvenience," he said.