West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 Phase 1 Voting Live: Elections to seal fate of 191 candidates in 30 constituencies today, voting begins at 8 AM

2021 West Bengal Assembly Election Phase 1 Voting Live News: After witnessing a high-voltage campaign filled with drama and emotions, 30 out of 294 assembly constituencies of West Bengal are voting today in the Phase-I election. At stake is TMC’s bid to retain power and BJP’s determination to dethrone Mamata Banerjee claim in a state which it has never ruled. These 30 constituencies are spread across tribal-dominated regions including Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur. In the 2016 assembly polls, Mamata Banerjee-led TMC had won 27 of the 30 seats going to polls in Phase-I. However, the equations changed in 2019 with BJP making massive inroads in the tribal-dominated Jungle Mahal region, winning all five Lok Sabha constituencies — Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, Medinipur and Bishnupur. Most of these are in the once-Naxal-affected Jungle Mahal region. The elections are being held amid tight security with the Election Commission deploying around 684 companies of central forces that would guard 10,288 polling booths housed in 7,061 premises, officials said. Besides, the state police are also be deployed at strategic locations, they added. In Jhargram, 11 paramilitary personnel are deployed per booth, the highest for any election held in the state so far, officials said. “Declaring all 1,307 booths in 1,010 premises as Left Wing Extremist (LWE) areas in Jhargram, we have decided to deploy 127 companies of the central forces only for booth management,” an EC official told PTI. Another 14 companies of central forces are being used as Quick Response Teams (QRTs), one company for the maintenance of strong room and another two companies are kept reserved as district and sub-divisional striking force, he said. Altogether, 144 companies of central forces are deployed in Jhargram for the election, he added. In the other districts, an average of six paramilitary personnel are deployed per booth, officials said. Purulia has the highest deployment of forces with 185 companies being deputed in 3,127 booths housed in 2,025 premises, they said. Total 148 companies have been deployed at 2,437 booths in 1,686 premises in Purba Medinipur, they said. Besides, 124 companies for 2,089 booths at 1,363 premises are deployed in Paschim Medinipur, officials said. Bankura, with 1,328 booths in 950 premises, has got 83 companies of central forces for the first phase, they said. Each company of the central forces consists of 100 personnel. Total 22,092 state police personnel are also deployed for the first phase, the EC official said.

In the first phase, polling is taking place amid strict COVID-19 guidelines in all nine seats in Purulia, four in Bankura, four in Jhargram and six in Paschim Medinipur, besides the seven seats in high-stakes Purba Medinipur — the home ground of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. In phase-1, the BJP is contesting on 29 seats and its ally AJSU, one – Baghmundi seat in Purulia district. TMC is contesting on 29 seats and is supporting an independent candidate from Joypur as the nomination of the TMC candidate was rejected by the returning officer. There are around 73 lakh voters spread across the 30 constituencies: Patashpur (227491), Kanthi Uttar (248479), Bhagabanpur (245077), Khejuri (227748), Kanthi Dakshin (216398), Ramnagar (254788), Egra (274956), Dantan (224675), Nayagram (218490), Gopiballavpur (219205), Jhargram (225620), Keshiary (231098), Kharagpur (215564), Garbeta (222139), Salboni (265094), Medinipur (266395), Binpur (216229), Bandwan (272609), Balarampur (224133), Baghmundi (236974), Joypur (236404), Purulia (243434), Manbazar (243875), Kashipur (227397), Para (231357), Raghunathpur (247821), Saltora (224150), Chhatna (232147), Ranibandh (244233) and Raipur (215543). While campaigning has ended for Phase-I, senior BJP and Congress leaders are touring the state for second phase polls to be held on April 1. The Elections in West Bengal is being held in eight phases with the last phase polling taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.