New Delhi, 23 April (H.S.):

In a pivotal electoral milestone, West Bengal kicks off its Assembly elections with the first phase across 152 constituencies today, while Tamil Nadu witnesses voting on all 234 seats in a single, high-stakes showdown.

West Bengal's polls follow an exhaustive Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls, ensuring meticulous voter verification amid unprecedented security measures. Spanning 16 districts—eight in North Bengal, three in South Bengal, and five in Junglemahal—polling stations will buzz from dawn till dusk under the watch of 2,407 companies of central forces.

Purba Medinipur leads with 273 deployments, as every booth falls within a 100-meter cordon of paramilitary control, with four personnel stationed per site to safeguard integrity.

The Election Commission has issued stern directives: any trace of perfume, ink, glue, or chemicals on EVM buttons will trigger vote tampering charges, potentially voiding polls and mandating repolls.

Presiding officers must rigorously inspect machines pre-voting to thwart foul play.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu's 5.73 crore voters will shape the destinies of 4,023 candidates across its 234 constituencies, pitting the DMK-led alliance against the AIADMK front in a fiercely contested single-phase frenzy from 7 AM to 6 PM. As democracy pulses through these southern strongholds and eastern frontiers, the outcomes promise to redraw India's political contours.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar