Assembly Election 2021, 1st Phase Poll LIVE Updates: Voting Begins in Assam, West Bengal, Delayed at Bankura Booth; PM Modi, Himanta Sarma's Plea to Voters

A total of 8,109,815 voters, including 4,032,481 females, are eligible to cast their votes across 11,537 polling stations mostly covering the eastern Assam's 14 districts.

Assam Elections 2021 | Saturday's first phase of polling will decide the fate of 264 candidates, including Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, several of his cabinet colleagues, Assembly Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami, state Congress chief Ripun Bora, Asom Gana Parishad chief Atul Bora, Congress Legislature Party leader Debabrata Saikia, jailed Raijor Dal President and prominent peasant leader Akhil Gogoi, and Assam Jatiya Parishad President Lurinjyoti Gogoi, and 23 women aspirants.

Bengal Elections 2021 | Voting underway at Kechanda Part Basic School in Jhargram

EC Vehicle Set Ablaze in West Bengal Hours Before First Phase of Assembly Polls | A vehicle hired for poll duty was set ablaze at Bandwan in Purulia district on Friday night, hours before the first phase of assembly elections get underway, official sources said. The vehicle was reportedly on its way back after dropping election officials at a polling station, when it was set on fire at Tulsidi village in the once-Maoist-affected 'Jangalmahal' belt of the state, they said.

According to eyewitnesses, the vehicle was stopped by a few persons who emerged out of the forests all of a sudden and allegedly threw a petrol-soaked material on it, before fleeing. No one was injured in the incident, the sources said.

Bengal Elections | Tension was palpable at Tulsidi village in Purulia's Bandwan as an election vehicle was set on fire hours before the polling began. Forces are at present keeping a close vigil in the area, surrounded by forests that were once the hideouts of Maoists, officials said. Total 73,80,942 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase. Of them, 37,52,938 are male and 36,27,949 female, while there are 55 third gender voters.

West Bengal is voting in eight phases for 294 seats.The votes will be counted on May 2.

Assam Assembly Elections 2021 | A long queue of voters at a polling centre in Rupahi, Nagaon District

First Phase of Assam Polls; CM Sonowal, Top Oppn in Fray | Voting began at 7 am on Saturday for 47 seats in the first phase of the assembly elections in Assam to decide the fate of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and a host of ministers and opposition leaders, officials said. Altogether 264 candidates, including 23 women, are in the fray in the first phase, they said.

In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress is contesting 29 of the 30 seats, while supporting an Independent in the Joypur assembly segment in Purulia as the nomination of its official candidate Ujjwal Kumar was rejected by the EC due to a discrepancy. The BJP is also contesting 29 seats and backing ally AJSU Party of Jharkhand in Baghmundi.

The Left-Congress-ISF alliance has put up candidates in all 30 seats, even as there are "friendly fights" in some. Of these 30 seats, 27 were won by the TMC in the 2016 assembly elections, the Congress bagged two and RSP one.

Long queues were seen outside many booths even before polling began with people stepping out early to avoid the sweltering heat, besides the uncertainty of being able to cast their votes in case of violence later in the day. Most of the voters and political party workers were seen without masks amid a resurgent coronavirus. In some booths, the voters were provided masks, while santisers were made available at all the locations.

Voters in Assam waiting in a queue at a polling station in JP Nagar, Dibrugarh, as polling gets underway for the first phase of Assembly elections.

Elections Underway in Suvendu Adhikari's Home Turf | The elections are being held following 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 turf of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. The elections, which will continue till 6 pm, are being held amid tight security with the Election Commission deploying around 730 companies of central forces, guarding 10,288 polling booths housed in 7,061 premises, officials said. 

Polling Begins for 30 Seats in First Phase of Bengal Elections | Polling began at 7 am on Saturday for the 30 seats in the first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal amid tight security, officials said. More than 73 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 191 candidates in these seats, most of which are located in the once-Naxal-affected Jungle Mahal region.

Early morning voters line up outside a polling station in Jhargram, West Bengal. 

Voters stand in a queue outside a polling booth in Dibrugarh, ahead of the first phase of Assam Assembly elections today:

Voting for First Phase Begins | The first phase of voting for Assembly Elections in West Bengal and Assam begins amid tight security. While 47 seats go to polls in Assam today, elections will be conducted in 30 constituencies in West Bengal.