New Delhi/Kolkata, 28 April (H.S.): All arrangements are in place for the second and final phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, with polling due tomorrow for 142 constituencies across eight districts of South Bengal. The Election Commission has completed preparations for what is being projected as a high‑stake, high‑turnout phase, covering over 3.21 crore voters and a tightly guarded campaign‑free “silence period” before the ballot.
Scale and profile of the electorate
The final phase involves 3,21,73,837 registered voters, including 1,64,35,627 men, 1,57,37,418 women and 792 transgender voters. Nearly 4.13 lakh new electors aged 18–19 will vote for the first time, underscoring the youth‑demographic weight in this round.
The commission has identified 1,96,801 electors aged over 85 years, including 3,243 centenarians, and 57,783 voters with disabilities, all of whom are being accommodated through special facilitation norms and priority‑booth access.
Contested and symbolic seats
A total of 1,448 candidates are in the fray in Phase II—1,228 men and 220 women—across the 142 seats. The Bhangar constituency in South 24‑Parganas has drawn maximum attention: 19 contestants are contesting there, making it the most crowded seat in the state so far. In contrast, Goghat in Hooghly will see a compact five‑cornered contest.
North 24‑Parganas, with 33 seats spread over nearly 71 lakh voters, is viewed as the political bellwether zone, capable of decisively shaping the state’s future government. Kolkata’s Jorasanko constituency, at just 3.48 sq km, is the smallest assembly segment, while Kalyani in Nadia, at 135 sq km, is the largest. On voter‑count scales, Bhatpara has the least electors (1,17,195), whereas Chuchura in Hooghly tops the list with 2,75,715 voters.
Tech‑enabled, security‑first polling
To ensure transparency and curb malpractice, all 41,001 polling stations will be under live web‑broadcasting, with images streamed to control rooms and the EC’s Central Control Room in New Delhi. 8,845 all‑women polling booths have been set up in honour of women’s participation, fully staffed by female officials and observers.
The state will deploy 55,331 ballot‑units, 55,162 control‑units and 59,463 VVPAT machines, with candidate photos, names, serial numbers and election symbols printed in large‑size fonts and colours for easier voter recognition.
Security is especially dense in the remaining phase. The EC has inducted 2,407 companies of central armed police forces, including additional deployment in North 24‑Parganas (507 companies)—the highest‑concentration zone. Coastal patrolling has been intensified in South and North 24‑Parganas, particularly near the Bangladesh border and the Sundarbans, to pre‑empt movement of trouble‑makers.
For rapid‑response, 160 motorcycle‑mounted Quick Reaction Teams drawn from the Central Armed Police Forces will patrol narrow lanes and congested areas, ready to rush to any flashpoint within minutes.
In the run‑up to polling, authorities have arrested 1,543 individuals believed to be planning election‑related violence or booth‑capturing attempts. Among those apprehended is Naru Gopal Bhakat, a Trinamool Congress corporator from Ward‑22 of Bardhaman Municipality, detained on charges of assault and intimidation linked to an attack on a BJP leader’s residence.
Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agrawal said on Monday that the commission would tolerate neither fake voting nor any form of malpractice, and that Phase II has been prepared with “enhanced robustness” to maintain the integrity of the process.
Phase I, held on April 23, recorded a record 93.19 per cent turnout, the highest in the state’s electoral history, signalling intense public engagement and heightened expectations. In the 142 Phase II seats, 23 constituencies have a higher number of female voters than male, led by Jadavpur.
Along with West Bengal, the Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry assembly polls will also be counted on May 4, turning the South‑India‑and‑East‑India combination into a key indicator of the national political mood. With such a high‑voltage context, the April‑29 contest in West Bengal is widely seen as a decisive “game‑changer” for the state’s ruling‑configuration—leaving all major parties anxiously awaiting the final results, exit‑poll inferences and the eventual verdict on May 4.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
