KOLKATA: West Bengal’s 42 Lok Sabha constituencies will vote in seven phases in the 18th general elections starting from April 19 and ending on June 1. The electoral exercise will continue for 44 days.
The Election Commission (EC)’s decision to conduct the Lok Sabha polls in Bengal in the maximum number of phases along with Bihar and Uttar Pradesh drew sharp criticism from the ruling TMC, which argued that polling in so many phases in the state would be advantageous to the BJP. Leaders of the ruling party alleged that the poll panel maligned the image of the state by ignoring their views recommending voting in a single phase.
However, all the opposition parties — BJP, Congress and CPI(M) — welcomed the EC’s decision.
“We have noticed that more voters turn out to exercise their franchise if there are fewer number of phases. This is why we demanded polling in a single phase. Gujarat, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are big states but they are voting in one phase. Why so many phases for Bengal? This is nothing but a tactic to spread terror which will be advantageous for the BJP,” said TMC minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.
Sources in the TMC said the party supremo Mamata Banerjee would make the seven-phase poll in Bengal an issue in the campaign portraying it as an attempt to defame Bengal as a volatile state. “She will stress that political parties like the BJP with deeper pockets are at an advantage over others when it comes to multi-phase polling. She will also give examples of other states with similar geographical size and sending around the same number of MPs to the Lok Sabha, which are voting in a single phase,” said a senior TMC leader.
Welcoming the EC’s decision, BJP’s state president Sukanta Majumdar said the TMC’s muscle flexing in the election would not work this time. “We are happy with the EC’s polls schedule. But the way voters are intimidated in Bengal, there should have been more phases. TMC’s muscle power will not work this time,” he said.
State Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, expressed his happiness over the seven-phase polling in Bengal. “Had it been in one phase, as demanded by the TMC, the ruling party would have unleashed terror across the state. The seven-phase polling will help the electorate to exercise their franchise,” he said.
CPI(M)’s Sujan Chakrabarty said his party would have welcomed it even if there had been 12 phases. “We don’t have any problem with the number of phases in Bengal,” he said.
Vigilant Governor
Expressing his commitment to be actively engaged in the upcoming general elections, West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose said he would be present on the roads from 6 am on polling days to put an end to violence. Bose assure that he would exert his utmost effort to achieve his goal.
“I will be in the field right from day one of the election. My two priorities will be to see that no violence and corruption takes place during the election. I will be on the road at 6 am before others wake up,” said Bose.
Party wise strength
In 2019 LS polls: TMC-22, BJP-18, Congress-2
(After Asansol BJP MP Babul Supriya defected to the TMC, the seat was won by it in the by-election taking its present tally to 23 and reducing the BJP’s strength to 17)
Bengal schedule:
First phase (3 LS constituencies): April 19 - Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri.
Second phase (3 LS constituencies): April 26 - Darjeeling, Raiganj and Balurghat.
Third phase (4 LS constituencies): May 7 - Malda Uttar, Malda Dakshin, Jangipur and Murshidabad.
Fourth phase (8 LS constituencies): May 13 - Baharampur, Krishnagar, Ranaghat, Bardhaman Purba, Bardhaman-Durgapur, Asansol, Bolpur and Birbhum.
Fifth phase (7 LS constituencies): May 20 - Bongaon Barrackpore, Howrah, Uluberia, Serampore, Hooghly, Arambag.
Sixth phase (8 LS constituencies): May 25 - Tamluk, Kanthi, Ghatal, Jhargram, Midnipur, Purulia, Bankura and Bishnupur
Seventh phase (9 LS constituencies): June 1 - Barasat, Basirhat, Dum Dum, Kolkata Uttar, Kolkata Dakshin, Jadavpur, Mathurapur, Jaynagar and Diamond Harbour.
