West Bengal, Assam set for first phase polls

Eighteen constituencies in West Bengal and 65 in Assam begin polling on April 4 in the over a month-long election process to elect new governments in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry. 

While West Bengal will have elections spread over six phases, the Assam polls will be held in two phases. In West Bengal, elections will be held on seven dates with the first phase having two polling days -- the other being on April 11. 

Elections will be held in West Bengal’s Maoist-affected areas on April 4. In the first part of phase one, 133 candidates will try their luck in Left Wing extremism hit districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura. 

Out of the 18 constituencies, 13 have been classified as LWE-affected by the Election Commission where voting will end early at 4 pm due to security considerations. In the remaining five constituencies of Purulia, Manbazar, Kashipur, Para and Raghunathpur voting will go on as usual till 6 pm. 

The ruling Trinamool Congress has been highlighting how peace has returned in the Maoist-hotbed Junglemahal area. The last 2011 Assembly polls, which ended the 34-yearlong rule of the Left, had Trinamool and Congress on the same side. The Congress, which broke its alliance later on, has forged alliance with the Left. 

The Left-Congress alliance has been a subject of mockery for both the BJP and the Trinamool. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has called this alliance an “unholy” one while Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who attended an election rally in Kharagpur town, mocking it, saying “dosti (friendship) in Bengal and kushti (wrestling) in Kerala”. 

The strength of the West Bengal Assembly is 294. In Assam, the ruling Congress, the BJP-AGP-BPF alliance and the AIUDF are locked in a keen battle where the first phase of elections will be held in 65 of the 126 constituencies. In Assam, a total of 539 candidates are in the fray in the first phase. Security has been tightened across the state with more than 40,000 security personnel deployed in the 65 constituencies.