Nandigram: People show their inked fingers after casting their vote in Nandigram in East Medinipur district during the first phase of West Bengal Assembly elections. (PTI Photo/Manavendra Vashishtha Love)

New Delhi: Tamil Nadu and West Bengal recorded bumper turnout on Thursday, the highest ever since independence in both the states, as polling ended at 6 pm, the Election Commission (ECI) said.Voting ended at 6 pm According to the latest ECI data, West Bengal recorded 91.91% voting in the first two phases, while Tamil Nadu recorded 84.80% voting.According to ANI, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said, “Highest voting percentage in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu since independence – ECI salutes every voter.”Many districts in West Bengal recorded over 90% voting, including South Dinajpur (94.85%), followed by Cooch Behar (94.54%), Birbhum (93.70%), Jalpaiguri (93.23%) and Murshidabad (92.93%).Tamil Nadu also saw strong participation, with Karur leading with 92.48%, followed by Salem (90.42%), Dharmapuri (90.02%), Erode (89.97%) and Namakkal (89.63%).It is noteworthy that in West Bengal, women voting reached a record 92.69%, while the voting percentage of men was 90.92%. Similarly, in Tamil Nadu, 85.76% women voted, while men’s participation stood at 83.57%.Voting began at 7 am amid tight security for all 234 assembly seats in Tamil Nadu and 152 out of 294 seats in West Bengal. Voting for the remaining 142 seats of West Bengal will be held on April 29.Counting of votes in both the states is to take place on May 4.In West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee and the TMC have been in power since 2011, with the chief minister now seeking a fourth consecutive term. The BJP is the main challenger in 2021 after its best-ever performance in the state.In Tamil Nadu, the DMK, which heads the secular progressive alliance, is in power. Its main rival is the National Democratic Alliance, led by DMK’s arch rival AIADMK in the state.Voting in the 2021 assembly elections was 85.2% in West Bengal and 76.6% in Tamil Nadu.