Kolkata: Amid elaborate security arrangement, voting for the second phase of crucial West Bengal Assembly elections will be held on Thursday in 30 of the state’s 294 constituencies with all eyes glued to prestigious Nandigram.
Polling for the second phase will be will held across four districts and 30 assembly seats.
The districts include Bankura Part II, East Midnapore Part II, West Midnapore Part II and South 24 Parganas Part I on April 1.
The thirty Assembly Constituencies of West Bengal going to polls in second phase are: 1 Gosaba (SC) 2 – Patharpratima 3 – Kakdwip 4 – Sagar 5- Tamluk 6 – Panskura Purba 7 – Panskura Paschim 8 – Moyna 9- Nandakumar 10 – Mahisadal 11 – Haldia (SC) 12- Nandigram 13 – Chandipur 14 – Kharagpur Sadar 15 – Narayangarh 16 – Sabang 17 – Pingla 18 – Debra 19 – Daspur 20 – Ghatal (SC) 21 – Chandrakona (SC) 22 – Keshpur (SC) 23 – Taldangra 24 – Bankura 25 – Barjora 26 – Onda 27 – Bishnupur 28 – Katulpur (SC) 29 – Indus (SC) 30 – Sonamukhi (SC).
The fate of 171 candidates in which 19(11%) are female candidates will be decided in the second phase by 75,94,549 voters who will exercise their franchise in 10,620 polling booths spread across the 30 constituencies, the Election Commission sources said.
The EC has made elaborate security arrangements with the deployment of central and state forces to ensure a free fair and peaceful poll.
All the booths where polling will be held in the second phase have been declared as “sensitive” by the EC.
The EC deploy total 651 companies of Central Armed Police for this phase of election.
A total 199 companies of CAPF will be deployed in Purba Medinipur, 210 companies in Paschim Medinipur, 170 in South 24 Parganas and 72 in Bankura, the sources said.
A total 199 companies of CAPF will be deployed in Purba Medinipur, 210 companies in Paschim Medinipur, 170 in South 24 Parganas and 72 in Bankura, the sources said.
The Election Commission, which has already warned that any act of violence
would not be tolerated during elections time, has reiterated with a fresh warning and has empowered the security forces to act in self-defence in case of any threat to their life by the miscreants during second phased polls in the state.
The EC’s fresh warning came after bomb attacks on Patashpur police station officer Dipak Chakraborty and central force personnel at Arwalm village in East Medinipur district on March 26, a few hours before the first phase polling.
If the situation demanded then the poll duty personnel could use weapons to drive away from the attackers, a source in the EC said on Tuesday.