CAMPAIGNING for the second and final phase of West Bengal Assembly polls ended on Monday amid a fierce political battle dominated by exchanges over SIR, infiltration, corruption and unemployment, with both the BJP and the TMC making a slew of promises to voters across 142 constituencies. During the high-octane campaign, the BJP leadership accused the ruling TMC of turning West Bengal into a haven for infiltrators, while Mamata Banerjee alleged that the saffron party was indulging in divisive politics, attempting to bifurcate the State and discouraging consumption of fish and eggs. A total of 3,21,73,837 electors --1,64,35,627 men, 1,57,37,418 women and 792 third-gender voters -- are eligible to vote in this phase of the elections scheduled for April 29. Polling will be held at 41,001 stations, with webcasting covering all polling stations.

 

The EC has put in place extensive security arrangements, deploying 2,321 companies of central forces across seven districts. A total of 142 general observers, 95 police observers and 100 expenditure observers have been deployed. Officials said drones fitted with cameras are also being used to monitor the poll process. Kolkata has the highest deployment with 273 companies of central forces. Among the constituencies going to the polls in this phase, Bhangar has the highest number of candidates at 19, while Goghat has the lowest with five, reflecting a varied electoral contest across districts. Key candidates in this phase include Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is seeking re-election from Bhabanipur. She is pitted against BJP heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari in one of the most high-profile contests of the phase.

 

Other important seats include Bhatpara, Jagatdal and Barrackpur, Bangaon, Dumdum, Sandeshkhali, Hingalganj, Ranaghat Uttar and Dakshin, Rashbehari, Jadavpur and Ballygunge. Several BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Ministers of Uttarakhand and Assam campaigned in the State. In one of her rallies after the first phase of polls on April 23, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee claimed that her party had crossed the 100-seat mark and expressed confidence of retaining power.

 

 

ELECTION Commission’s flying squads and security agencies have so far seized cash, liquor and other freebies worth Rs 510.10 crore in West Bengal, where the second and final phase of voting for Assembly elections is scheduled on April 29, an official said on Monday. The seizure of freebies and other inducement articles till Monday in the State has already surpassed the Rs 339 crore mark of such inducement items recovered by the election department and security agencies during the 2021 Assembly elections, said an official statement. Since the announcement of elections on March 15, including the first phase of voting that took place in West Bengal on April 23, the ECI seizures include Rs 30 crore in cash, liquor worth Rs 126.85 crore, drugs valued at Rs 110.12 crore, precious metal worth Rs 58.28 crore and other freebies worth Rs 184.85 crore. To ensure inducement-free elections, over 2,728 Flying Squad Teams have been deployed to ensure that the inducement-related complaints are attended to within 100 minutes, said the statement. Besides the flying squads, over 3,142 Static Surveillance Teams (SSTs) have also been deployed to set up surprise pickets at different locations. Special drives are being conducted against the manufacture, storage and distribution of illicit liquor, said the statement. The ECI activated the Election Seizure Management System on February 26 to ensure inducement-free polling and strict compliance with the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).