Kolkata: Six Assembly constituencies in West Bengal with four of the Assembly seats located in south Bengal, and two in north Bengal have begun polls at 7 am. Till 1 pm, 45.53 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the state.
Tight security arrangements are in place to avoid untoward incidents and unprecedented acts of violence, an official said. Voting will continue till 5 PM, he added. The by-polls are being held in Sitai, Madarihat, Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur and Taldangra assembly constituencies in West Bengal.
"Polling has been peaceful. No untoward incident has been reported from the constituencies where voting is underway," the Election Commission official said. According to the poll panel, 32 per cent turnout was registered in Taldangra assembly constituency followed by 31.86 per cent in Madarihat, Haroa (31.20 pc), Medinipur (30.25 pc), Sitai (29 pc) and Naihati (25.17 pc).
As many as 108 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed for the by-elections in West Bengal (ETV Bharat) Notably, five of these constituencies are in the TMC strongholds of south Bengal, while Madarihat remains a BJP bastion in the northern part of the state. The polling was scheduled in all six seats after the sitting legislators contested in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and won.
As many as 108 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed for the by-elections. Of the 108 companies, 22 have been deployed in Taldangra, 19 in Medinipur, 18 each in Madarihat, Haroa and Sitai, and 13 in Naihati. Besides, six companies will be deployed in strongrooms where electronic voting machines (EVM) will be kept.
The by-polls on six Assembly constituencies across five districts also come after the horrific rape and murder of a doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9, which led to nationwide protests. The Trinamool Congress has faced heavy backlash, not only from political opponents but also from the public about malpractices in the state.
On Monday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed to the people to vote in her favour, making Bengal great. “I want to tell all the people in the six constituencies that the West Bengal government, and ma, mati, manush [mother, land, and people] are with them 365 days, so please vote for the Trinamool Congress for faster development work in your area,” she said.
However, opponent BJP leaders are optimistic about their probable win in these bypolls, after the RG Kar case. “We are confident of retaining Madarihat and winning the remaining five seats,” BJP leader Rahul Sinha said. People of West Bengal are fed up with the TMC’s governance, several BJP leaders claimed while campaigning.
The CPI (M)-led Left Front and the Congress are contesting the by-elections separately for the first time since 2021, after a major transformation in the Bengal Congress leadership.
The Left Front has announced candidates for five of the six seats, including one CPI(ML) nominee. The Congress has fielded candidates in all six assembly segments. Votes will be counted on November 23.
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