The first phase of polling is underway in West Bengal, covering 152 of the state’s 294 constituencies across 16 districts. The high-stakes contest has drawn intense political focus, with 1,478 candidates in the fray and around 3.6 crore voters eligible to cast their ballots. High-profile candidates are at the centre of this phase, with several closely watched contests expected to shape the broader electoral narrative.
In Nandigram, a politically symbolic seat, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP faces Pabitra Kar of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Adhikari, now Leader of Opposition, had defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee here in 2021. The TMC’s choice of Kar, a former associate of Adhikari, has added a personal dimension to the contest.
In Dinhata, Udayan Guha (TMC) is contesting against Ajay Roy (BJP) in what remains one of north Bengal’s most volatile constituencies. The seat saw a razor-thin margin of just 57 votes in the previous election.
Asansol Dakshin, part of the state’s industrial belt, is witnessing a direct fight between Agnimitra Paul (BJP) and Tapas Banerjee (TMC), with campaign discourse centred on employment and industrial decline.
In Baharampur, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is in a triangular contest against BJP’s Subrata Maitra and TMC’s Naru Gopal Mukherjee, making it one of the most closely tracked seats in this phase.
Districts such as Malda, Murshidabad and Uttar Dinajpur, with sizeable minority populations, are witnessing multi-cornered contests, with the TMC, Congress, Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM, and Humayun Kabir’s Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) competing for influence.
Polling is being conducted under tight security, with 2,407 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces deployed across 44,378 polling stations. Authorities are also closely monitoring the movement of cash, liquor and other inducements, with seizures exceeding ₹451 crore so far.
A 96-hour ban on liquor sales is in place after officials flagged an unusual surge in alcohol offtake during the Model Code of Conduct period. “We observed an unusual spurt in alcohol sales during the Model Code of Conduct period,” an official said, warning of strict action against any attempt to influence voters.
The election is also unfolding amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which has reduced the state’s electorate from 7.6 crore to 6.8 crore. Of the 60 lakh voters placed under the “under adjudication” category, around 27 lakh have been deleted, affecting several constituencies across minority and Matua-dominated regions.
With polling now in progress, attention remains firmly on these key constituencies, where candidate battles are expected to play a decisive role in shaping the outcome of the first phase. Second phase is scheduled to take place on April 29, with results to be declared on May 4.
