Leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday called for peaceful polling as voting is currently underway in the first phase of the State Assembly elections. Adhikari himself is in fray, pitted against his former aide, Trinamool Congress’s Pabitra Kar from the high profile Nandigram seat.
“We are Hindus, we are Sanatanis. I offered prayers, offered a ‘naman.’ I spoke to polling agents of my constituency... Polling should be held peacefully,” said Suvendu Adhikari to reporters in Nandigram.
He launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the voter roll revision exercise. Adhikari questioned the integrity of the electoral rolls in the wake of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. “If there are no dead or fake voters or infiltrators, there is no chance for Mamata to win...” he added.
Polling began earlier in the day in the high-stakes West Bengal Assembly elections, with the first phase covering 152 of the state’s 294 constituencies across 16 districts. A total of 1,478 candidates are in the fray, with around 3.6 crore voters eligible to cast their ballots in this phase.
Voting is being held under tight security and will continue until 6:00 pm. Mock polls were conducted at polling stations ahead of the start of voting to ensure preparedness. The elections are being conducted in two phases this year, with the remaining 142 constituencies set to vote in the second phase. Results will be declared on May 4.
Key constituencies in this phase include Nandigram, where Adhikari is contesting, along with several seats across north Bengal, as political parties vie for control of all 294 Assembly seats in the state. Suvendu Adhikari is also contesting from Kolkata’s Bhawanipore constituency, against Trinamool Congress Supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
