West Bengal goes to poll today, EC bars candidates from leaving constituencies during polling
Amdanga (WB), April 22: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday expressed surprise over the deployment of CRPF armoured vehicles for maintaining law and order during the Assembly polls, alleging that the BJP-led Centre has engaged all wings of the government to work in its favour.
Addressing a TMC rally in North 24 Parganas district, she claimed that central forces such as the CRPF, ITBP, CISF and BSF, along with other central entities including the railways, have been deployed for the elections.
“Elections are a festival of democracy, not for killing anyone,” the TMC chief said, urging supporters to lodge FIRs if they face any atrocities.
“Around two lakh central force personnel have been brought into Bengal for the elections. This is unprecedented. Are they trying to intimidate me by deploying so many forces?” she asked.
Challenging the BJP, Banerjee said, “I want to see who has more power — the armoured vehicles or the people,” asserting that she was not afraid of the party.
West Bengal goes to the polls on Thursday, in the first of the two-phase high-stakes, tightly-policed Assembly election, where about 3.6 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise in roughly 44,000 polling booths across 152 constituencies in 16 districts.
Though there has been a significant reduction in phases compared to earlier elections, the state is witnessing an unprecedented deployment of central security agencies with new and unique Election Commission measures aimed at the strict imposition of rules.
The poll schedule has been compressed to just two from eight phases in 2021 and six in 2016, where the first phase was divided into two days in the latter.
This time, a close contest is expected in at least 80 seats in this phase between the ruling Trinamool Congress and main challenger Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Meanwhile, the EC directed the West Bengal assembly election candidates not to leave their respective constituencies from 6 am on April 23, the first phase of polling, until the voting concludes, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Polling will be held across 152 constituencies in 16 districts of Bengal on Thursday. According to a guideline, candidates must remain within their constituencies during voting hours and refrain from engaging in any activity that could disrupt the electoral process, the official said.
“All candidates are expected to ensure that polling is conducted in a free, fair and peaceful manner, and that voters can exercise their democratic rights without intimidation or disturbance,” he said.
The second phase of the voting will be held on April 29, and the results will be out on May 4. (PTI)
