Elections for the West Bengal assembly will be held in eight phases, up from seven last time, starting with voting for 30 seats on March 27, Chief Elections Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora said, by announcing the voting schedule.
The second phase of the West Bengal assembly elections is scheduled for April 1 and will cover 30 constituencies, followed by the third phase on April 6 for 31 seats, the fourth phase on April 10 for 44 districts and the fifth phase on April 17 for 45 seats, the sixth phase for 43 seats on April 22, the seventh phase on April 26 for 36 seats and the final and eighth phases on April 29 for 35 seats, Arora said.
The Assam assembly elections will be held in three phases on March 27, April 1 and April 6, while the Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 6.
The Election Commission will appoint two special observers for West Bengal and a third can also be dispatched if necessary, Arora said in response to questions about whether there are sufficient arrangements for the polls in the state, where many have been raising questions about political violence. .
2016 results
west bengal
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Mamata Banerjee won 211 seats in West Bengal in 2016 to retain power for a second term with an improved majority. The BJP, which won just 3 seats in previous assembly polls, is aiming for big strides this year.
Kerala
In Kerala, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) won nearly two-thirds of 140 seats in the previous assembly elections, wresting state from the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), which could only win 47 seats.
The BJP had been left with only one seat.
Assam
In 2016, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 86 seats to form the government in Assam, uprooting the sitting Congress, which won only 26 seats out of 126 electoral districts.
Tamil nadu
In Tamil Nadu, AIADMK had won under the leadership of J Jayalalithaa to serve a second term. The DMK had won half of the seats it contested, while Congress had won 16 percent of the seats.
Puducherry
The Congress-DMK alliance gained power in Puducherry in 2016. However, the V Narayanasamy government collapsed just weeks before this year’s assembly elections after a series of resignations. The government of the president has been imposed on the territory of the Union.
Covid-19 Guidelines
The Election Commission announced several voting guidelines in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Arora also said that everyone in electoral service for the upcoming elections will be vaccinated against Covid-19 before Election Day.
Arrangements will also be made for candidates to submit their nominations online.
Voting will be allowed for an additional hour, taking into account Covid-19 security guidelines, he said.
In addition, Internet transmission arrangements will be implemented in polling stations in critical and vulnerable areas, while the adequate deployment of CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) will be guaranteed, Arora said.
He said the door-to-door campaign will be limited to five people, including the candidate, while road shows with a maximum of five vehicles will be allowed.
(With PTI inputs)
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