All arrangements in place for second phase West Bengal polls; Trinamool Congress, BJP locked in intense battle

New Delhi [India], April 28 : The stage is set for the second phase polling in the high-profile contest in West Bengal in which the BJP has made determined bid to oust the ruling Trinamool Congress, which has also made hard efforts to win its fourth successive assembly polls in the state.

The Left parties are seeking to regain space in the state they ruled for decades with the Congress also seeking to revive itself in the state that has a significant role in the national polity.

Voting for the second phase assembly election in West Bengal will be held on Wednesday with over 3.22 crore voters eligible to exercise their franchise in the second phase of assembly polls on 142 seats.

The first phase of elections on April 23 had seen a record 91.78 per cent polling. The voting on Wednesday will decide electoral fate of 1,448 candidates, which includes 1,228 men and 220 women.

Election Commission has made all arrangements for smooth conduct of polling process.

Of over 3.22 crore total voters, 3.21 crore are general electors and nearly 40,000 are service voters. There are 1.64 crore male electors and 1.57 crore female electors and 792 have been identified as third gender.

Over 4.12 lakh voters are in the 18-19 age bracket and over 3,200 voters are 100 years and above. There are over 57,000 voters with disabilities (PWD). The Election Commission has set up 41,001 polling stations for smooth conduct of elections.

These include 39,301 main stations and 1700 auxiliary stations.There are 8,845 all-women managed stations, 13 PWD-managed stations, and 258 "model" polling stations.

There will be webcasting for all 41,001 polling stations.

Polling will start at 7 am and conclude at 6 pm.

Issues concerning "infiltration, SIR, deletion of voters and jobs" dominated the election discourse with all parties making special efforts to woo women.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah held several rallies in the state to shore up BJP's campaign and expressed confidence of the party forming its first government in the state. PM Modi took "Maha jungle raj" jibes at the Trinamool Congress.

In his last rally of campaign in Barrackpore, PM Modi said "wherever I have gone in West Bengal, I have seen the mood of the people".

"I am returning with the confidence that after the results on May 4, I will have to come back to attend the BJP's oath-taking ceremony," he said. Several other party leaders also campaigned in the state.

Trinamool Congress, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, also held an extensive campaign and expressed confidence of returning to power.

Both parties interpreted the outcome of the first phase of election held on April 23 in their favour.

Mamata Banerjee is in the fray in the second phase of polls from Bhabanipur assembly constituency. She is being challenged by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who is also contesting from Nandigram.

Other key candidates in the second phase include Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, Ministers Chandrima Bhattacharya, Shashi Panja, Aroop Biswas and Bratya Basu.

The BJP has fielded Ratna Debnath, the mother of the junior doctor who was raped and murdered at the R G Kar Hospital in Kolkata, from Panihati constituency. BJP's Swapan Dasgupta is contesting from Rashbehari.

The results will be declared on May 4, along with outcome of polls in Assam, Keralam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

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