West Bengal, Assam Assembly Election 2021: Results to be declared on May 2 (Representational)
New Delhi:
The first phases of the Bengal and Assam assembly elections have begun, with 30 seats in Bengal and 47 in Assam voting. In Bengal, ruling Trinamool and opposition BJP, who have waged a high-risk, sometimes strident and often cruel campaign in recent weeks, will be eager to start strong. The Congress-Left alliance, which is expected to finish a distant third, is also in the mix. In Assam, the BJP faces the challenge of the ‘mahachot’ or ‘grand alliance’ led by Congress to retain power. In the 2016 Bengal elections, Trinamool won 26 of these 30 seats. In Assam, the BJP produced a similar performance to win 35 of 47 seats. Polls in both states open at 7 am and close at 6 pm; Times have been extended by an hour due to the Covid pandemic.
Here are the top 10 points of this great story:
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More than 73 lakh voters from five districts, all from Purulia and Jhargram, and parts of Bankura, West Medinipur and East Medinipur, will vote in the around 10,200 booths from the first phase of the Bengal elections. In Assam, around 81 lakh people will vote in Upper Assam and parts of Central Assam, with more than 11,000 seats and almost 2,000 auxiliary seats installed.
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Of the 30 seats in Bengal, the BJP is contesting 29; one has been turned over to the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU). Trinamool will also contest on the 29th and will support an independent candidate for the other seat. Congress, perhaps punished by recent catastrophically poor election results, will only contest five seats. His alliance partner, the Left parties, will contest the majority, of which the CPM will fight 18 and the CPI 4.
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In Assam, the BJP is contesting 39 of the 47 seats in this phase and ally AGP (Asom Gana Parishad) 10. The two sides will meet in a “friendly contest” on two seats. Congress – at the end of a ‘Mahajot‘(grand alliance) – will contest 43 seats, one for Badruddin Ajmal’s AIDUF, Rashtriya Janata Dal, AGM and CPIML. A third option for voters is the fledgling Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), which was formed last year by the All Students Union of Assam and Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people in Assam and West Bengal to come out in large numbers and cast their vote. “Urging those eligible to vote in record numbers. In particular, I ask my young friends to vote,” Prime Minister Modi tweeted in his message to Assam. Similarly, he urged voters in Bengal to “exercise their right to vote in record numbers.”
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Jhargram, Medinipur, Patashpur and Ramnagar are among the big seats in Bengal at this phase, with Medinipur of particular interest because it is home to Suvendu Adhikari, the former Trinamool MLA and close aide to Mamata Banerjee, whose defection to the BJP led to a furious quarrel with her old party. The Trinamool has sent Bengali actress June Malia from this seat against BJP’s Shamit Dash.
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At Jhargram, Trinamool has deployed actor Santhali – Birbaha Hansda – against Sukhmoy Satpati of the BJP. In Patashpur, Trinamool’s Uttam Barik will face Ambuj Mahanti. And in Ramnagar, Trinamool’s Medinipur district chief Akhil Giri faces Ranjan Nayak of the BJP.
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In Assam, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Head of State Congress Ripun Borah, and President Hitendranath Goswami are among the biggest names on today’s ballots. The Chief Minister will hope to retain his post at Majuli on the back of development work for the past five years. Sonowal has not been confirmed as the BJP’s top ministerial candidate. His opponent will be the three-time former Congress MLA Rajib Lochan Pegu.
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Elsewhere, outgoing President Hitendranath Goswami will face former Congressional MLA Rana Goswami in Jorhat and Assam’s Congress chief Ripun Borah will face BJP MLA Utpal Bora for Gohpur. Another big name on today’s ballot is Raijor Dal activist and boss Akhil Gogoi, who is running as Sibsagar Independent because the party did not register on time. Gogoi, in jail for his alleged role in the 2019 anti-CAA protests, this week alleged torture while in custody.
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Titabor will also vote, the seat held for four consecutive terms by former chief minister and congressional veteran Tarun Gogoi, who died in November last year. One of the highest leaders in the state, his seat will see Bhaskar Jyoti Barua from Congress and Hemanta Kalita from BJP fight.
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Election results for Bengal and Assam, as well as those for Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry, will be declared on May 2.
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