Bengal Phase 1 Polls: Campaign Ends, Unprecedented Security for 152 Seats

On the last day of the campaign, there were several rallies and roadshows by top leaders of all contending political forces, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and Congress leader Sachin Pilot.

A total of 152 Assembly constituencies are spread across 16 districts, namely Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, and Malda in North Bengal, and Murshidabad, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, West Bardhaman, and Birbhum in South Bengal.

Seven of these 16 districts are under the Election Commission of India's special scanner due to security concerns on polling day.

A total of 1,478 candidates are in the fray for these 152 Assembly constituencies that will go to the polls in the first phase on April 23.

In line with the Election Commission of India's initiative, the electronic voting machines and ballot papers will bear the coloured photographs of the candidates and their details, including the serial number, name, and symbol, in large font for the ease and convenience of voters.

The first phase of the Assembly polls will be conducted under unprecedented security cover, with the deployment of 2,407 companies of central forces, including Central Armed Police Forces, the India Reserve Battalion, and personnel from armed police wings of other states, in addition to personnel from West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police.

In most pockets, the contest this time will be four-cornered, involving the Trinamool Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front, the All India Secular Front alliance, and the Congress.

However, in the case of the two minority-dominated districts, namely Malda and Murshidabad, Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and the new political outfit floated by former Trinamool Congress legislator Humayun Kabir might prove to be major factors in determining results in several Assembly constituencies in these two districts.

Again, the three hill constituencies of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Kurseong are headed for a unique five-cornered contest involving the Bharatiya Janata Party backed by the Bimal Gurung-founded Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, the Anit Thapa-founded Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha with the backing of Trinamool Congress, the Ajoy Edwards-founded Indian Gorkha Janshakti Front, the Left Front-All India Secular Front alliance, and the Congress.

The campaign for the first phase of the polls this time was really unique.

On the one hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party's target is the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government, with major issues including corruption, crimes against women, hooliganism, the poor condition of the state exchequer, and the plight of industries in the state.

On the other hand, more than the Bharatiya Janata Party or other opposition forces, the target of the Trinamool Congress had been the Election Commission of India over the special intensive revision exercise, with the ruling party accusing the poll panel of working as an agent of the Bharatiya Janata Party in deleting names of around one crore voters through the revision exercise.

For the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front and the All India Secular Front, although the targets were both the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the attacks against the ruling party were sharper than those against the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Both Left Front and the All India Secular Front leadership have accused Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party of having a clandestine understanding.

On the other hand, the target of the Congress leaders had been mainly the Bharatiya Janata Party rather than the Trinamool Congress.

- IANS