WestBengal: West Bengal is voting in the first phase of the assembly elections today. A total of 152 seats from across 16 districts are up for grabs in the first phase. This is the first time that a large number of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel have been deployed in the state. An unprecedented security is in place with 2.4 lakh CAPF personnel or about 2,407 companies of the CAPF, for the first phase of polling. and state police deployed to oversee polling. In a first and significant move to keep miscreants away from the polling booth, the CAPF personnel have been given a mandate to secure an area up to 100 meters around the polling booths. The decision was taken to prevent intimidation or violence.
Poll Preparedness
Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) have been positioned around polling stations, and around 7,384 booths have been flagged as “super-sensitive” or “critical”. Notably, no civil volunteer has been assigned polling duties this time. In fact, contractual staff from the state or the Central government have also been kept out of the poll duties. The Election Commission of India has set up a central control room in Kolkata where senior poll officials have been deployed to monitor the process.
The ECI has also arranged for webcasting at all polling stations and appointed 152 general observers and 58 police observers to ensure free and fair polling.
152 seats, 16 districts and 3.6 crore voters
A total of 44,376 booths have been set up across 16 districts for polling, with 1,478 candidates in the fray for 152 seats. Notably, 139 more voters got clearance from the judicial commission for their inclusion in the voters’ list, taking the total to 3,60,77,310. Murshidabad’s Samsherganj has the lowest number of electors at 1,61,435 voters, while West Medinipur’s Daspur has the highest with 2,90,045.
The seats, going to polls on Thursday, are spread across Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum, Paschim Bardhaman, Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, Paschim Medinipur, and Purba Medinipur.
Of the seats with the highest number of candidates are Cooch Behar Dakshin, Karandighi, and Itahar with 15 contestants each, while Chandrakona in West Medinipur has the lowest, with five candidates.
West Bengal Phase 1 Election Overview
* First phase of West Bengal Assembly Elections underway today
* 152 seats across 16 districts going to polls
* ~3.6 crore voters eligible
West Bengal Phase 1 Security Arrangements
* ~2.4 lakh CAPF personnel (2,407 companies) deployed — highest-ever presence
* CAPF tasked to secure 100-meter radius around polling booths
* State police also deployed for support
West Bengal Phase 1 Polling Preparedness
* Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) stationed near booths
* 7,384 booths marked as “super-sensitive/critical”
* No civil volunteers or contractual staff assigned polling duties
* Central control room set up in Kolkata for monitoring
West Bengal Phase 1 Monitoring & Oversight
* Webcasting at all polling stations
* 152 general observers + 58 police observers appointed
* Supervision by Election Commission of India
West Bengal Phase 1 Voting Key Numbers
* 44,376 polling booths set up
* 1,478 candidates contesting
* Total voters: 3,60,77,310
* Lowest voters: Samsherganj (Murshidabad) – 1,61,435
* Highest voters: Daspur (West Medinipur) – 2,90,045
Key Leaders in the poll fray in Bengal Phase 1
In the first phase of the polls, key political leaders include Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, former BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, BJP’s Agnimitra Paul and Nisith Pramanik; TMC leaders Kanailal Agarwal, Goutam Dev, Udayan Guha, Kajal Sheikh and Arpita Ghosh; and Congress leaders Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Ali Imran Ramz Victor.
Incidence of violence
Bengal has a history of violence-marred polls even when the Left government was in power. The trend has continued under the Trinamool Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee.
According to news agencies, incidents of violence have been reported from parts of West Bengal. A BJP Kisan Morcha leader was injured after an alleged assault in Sitalkuchi, while TMC candidate Sahina Mumtaj was allegedly attacked in Naoda.
The BJP workers have clashed with the TMC at many places, while workers of Humayun Kabir’s Aam Janata Unnayan Party have also been involved in a fight with some TMC workers. Last night, four people were injured as supporters of the CPI (M) clashed with TMC workers.
In Murshidabad, some people were injured after a crude bomb was thrown near them. The victims have alleged that Humayun Kabir’s party workers were behind the incident, a charge denied by Kabir.
Can CAPF ensure violence-free voting?
Several videos of CAPF personnel have gone viral on social media, where the forces were seen counselling scared voters to go out and vote, ensuring their safety. In some of the videos, the central forces were seen detaining goons creating chaos on the streets or attacking shops/homes.
However, this time, a record number of CAPF personnel have been deployed and this has eliminated security threats to some level, claims local voters and poll staff. The Election Commission’s efforts appears to have been paying dividend at the ground level, whether it leads to an increase in electoral participation is yet to be seen, say political experts.
Bureau Report
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