High-pitch poll campaign ends in TN, West Bengal
The high-pitched poll campaign spiked with food staple like Jhalmuri and simultaneously remarks like PM is a ‘terrorist’ in the first phase of 152 constituencies in West Bengal and all 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu ended on Tuesday.
The high-intensity campaign, which saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister, Amit Shah, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressing back-to-back rallies for the first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, observed issues ranging from food habits, cross-border infiltration and a uniform civil code to the contentiously revised electoral rolls dominated the discourse.
The TMC is seeking to come to power for the fourth straight term, while the BJP wants to unseat the Mamata Banerjee-led party in the state, where the number of voters has reduced by around 91 lakh after the Special Intensive Review (SIR).
Nearly 3.60 crore electors are eligible to vote in this phase, including 1.84 crore men, 1.75 crore women and 465 third-gender voters, according to Election Commission data.
Key candidates in this phase include leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari (BJP, Nandigram), former Union minister Nisith Pramanik (BJP, Mathabhanga), state minister Udayan Guha (TMC, Dinhata), Goutam Deb (TMC, Siliguri), and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Congress, Baharampur).
Addressing his final rally on Tuesday, Shah predicted that the state was in for a change of leadership on May 4. “Her time at the helm of the state has come to an end,” he said, referring to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
While Mamata asserted her party would return to power comfortably in the state and claimed that the BJP-led government at the Centre would not last beyond 2026.
The campaign for the April 23 Assembly election to Tamil Nadu also ended on Tuesday. Police security arrangements have been tightened in sensitive places in Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin signed off the campaign by interacting with voters of the Kolathur constituency from where he is contesting. With two days left for the Assembly election, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, who heads the NDA in the state, wound up his campaign in the western TN.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis, Bhajanlal Sharma (Rajasthan) and Revanth Reddy (Telangana), former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal besides Stalin, Palaniswami and Deputy CM Udhayanidhi crisscrossed the state holding roadshows and campaigning for candidates in their respective alliance.
Two powerful alliances - the Secular Progressive Alliance led by DMK chief M K Stalin, and the National Democratic Alliance led by AIADMK chief K Palaniswami are pitted against each other, promising a tough contest.
What makes the election more interesting this time is the presence of actor Vijay-led fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam in the fray from all the constituencies, while DMK had roped in actor-politician Kamal Haasan, who heads the Makkal Needhi Maiam, to campaign against Vijay.
Bike Curbs in West Bengal for Polls
New Delhi: The ECI has imposed strict restrictions on two-wheelers in West Bengal ahead of the Assembly polls to ensure peaceful voting. Bike rallies are banned, night movement is restricted, and pillion riding is limited, with exemptions for emergencies and voting day needs. The ECI cited concerns over intimidation, cash transport, and disruption of the electoral process for ordering restrictions.
