Over 36 million eligible voters will decide the fate of 1,478 candidates, including 167 female candidates, on Thursday when 152 assembly constituencies in West Bengal go to polls in the first of the two-phased state election.
Of the 294 assembly seats in the state, while 152 constituencies go to polls in the first phase on April 23, elections to the remaining 142 seats will be held on April 29. The results would be announced on May 4.
While the Mamata Banerjee-led ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) is seeking a fourth term, its arch rival the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched an all-out campaign to oust the incumbent government.
The Congress, which has been virtually decimated in the state with its vote share dropping from 12.4% to 1.6% in just five years, is also eyeing a comeback in four districts, all of which go to polls on Thursday.
Among the assembly constituencies going to polls on Thursday, some, such as Nandigram in East Midnapore and Baharampur in Murshidabad are set to witness pitched electoral battles.
Key candidates, constituencies
While the BJP has fielded Suvendu Adhikari, sitting MLA and leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly who defeated Mamata Banerjee in 2021, from Nandigram, the TMC has pitted Adhikari’s former associate Pabitra Kar against him. Kar recently returned to the TMC after quitting the BJP.
In Baharampur, veteran Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will contest the assembly elections after a gap of 30 years. He was a five-time MP who lost the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat in 2024 to TMC’s Yusuf Pathan, a former cricketer.
In the north, the tea-belt of Darjeeling and Terai region, the districts of Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri, considered the strongholds of the Rajbanshi community, the Muslim-dominated and bordering districts of Murshidabad, Malda and Uttar Dinajpur, the tribal belt in the western part of the state comprising Bankura, Purulia and Jhargram and the mining and industrial belt of Asansol and Durgapur will go to polls on Thursday.
While 103 are general assembly constituencies, 34 are reserved for Scheduled Caste communities and 15 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has had a huge impact in the districts going to polls in the first phase. Of the 2.7 million voters whose names were struck off from the electoral roll after adjudication by judicial officers, Murshidabad and Malda registered the highest number of deletions.
Quick statistics
Voting will be held across 44,376 polling stations of which 5644 are managed by women. Two polling stations are entirely managed by specially-abled polling personnel.
While there are 2,04,618 voters aged more than 85 years, there are more than 4000 voters who are more than 100 years of age. The ECI has already held home voting for such voters.
“Web casting has been installed in 100% of the polling stations. A control room with around 90 screens has been set up at the CEO’ office to get live feeds from these stations. They all will be manned by CAPF,” said a senior EC official.
The Election Commission meanwhile has made elaborate arrangements to hold a violence-free and free and fair polls this time. More than 2400 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will be deployed in the first phase, officials said.
“In 2011 (when the TMC came to power ousting the Left Front), I had raised the slogan “Not revenge. We want change’. But this time I am saying ‘Not change, we want revenge through vote-boxes and democracy’. We will get more seats compared to last year. Many people have died due to SIR,” chief minister Banerjee said while addressing an election rally Hooghly district.
“I would urge every elector to reach the polling stations early in the day and cast their votes. This election is all about National security, safety of women in West Bengal, employment of youths, rights of farmers and industrial development. I would request you to ensure the change (in state government) and vote for the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given assurance. You have seen 34 years of Left Front regime and 15 years of corrupt TMC government,” Adhikari said in a recorded video message.
www.hindustantimes.com
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