With a lot of heat and dust generated after the Saradha, Narada and fly-over collapse, the month-long Bengal Assembly polls finally kick-start on Monday when elections will be held for 18 seats across three districts of Jangalmahal on the first day of the first phase.
About 40 lakh voters will exercise their franchise to elect from a total 113 candidates mostly from the TMC, left Front, Congress and the BJP. There are 4203 polling stations and 4945 booths. With 13 seats falling under left Wing Extremism area, 1962 booths have been marked as highly sensitive. Polling will end in the lWE areas at 4 pm, two hours before the normal timing.
The second part of the first phase will be held on April 11. Subsequent days of polling are, April 17, 21, 25, 30 and May 5.
Each polling station will be manned by one section or 8 central forces jawans. A State police constable will stand outside the booth overseeing the voters’ queue, ECI officials said.
Out of 294 Assembly seats the Trinamool which was fighting as an alliance partner of the Congress won 184 in 2011. The Congress won 42 while the left won 62 seats. Subsequently the BJP won the lone seat of Basirhat in a by-election.
This time round with corruption and violence becoming the major issue the left and the Congress have formed an alliance against the Trinamool Congress.