New Delhi: Voting for the second phase of Assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam is all set to take place today. A total of 69 seats spread across both the states will be at stake but all eyes will be on Nandigram where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be up against Suvendu Adhikari, who was once her close confidant. Both Assam and West Bengal have witnessed high voltage campaign trail with political parties announcing a slew of projects and promises to woo the voters. While the central issue in the Bengal polls has been the “insider” versus “outsider” debate, elections in Assam have been centered on the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Here are key constituencies, candidates and other important details from Assam and West Bengal:
List of constituencies:
1 127 – Gosaba (SC)
Key constituencies and prominent faces:
Nandigram
All eyes are glued on Nandigram assembly constituency is all set to witness a high-octane battle as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting against her archrival Suvendu Adhikari. The constituency, Adhikari’s bastion, Nandigram is considered a strong turf of Mamata Banerjee-led TMC that secured her the party’s victory in 2011. TMC candidate Firoja Bibi had, in 2011, bagged the seat by defeating her nearest rival Paramananda Bharati of CPI. In the 2016 elections, Suvendu Adhikari (former Trinamool Congress leader) had bagged the seat. He had defeated Abdul Kabir Sekh of CPI. Besides the two frontrunners, Left front candidate Minakshi Mukherjee is also trying her luck from the seat.
Haldia
Haldia assembly constituency falls under the Purba Medinipur district and Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency. The EC has imposed Section 144 fo CrPC in Haldia anticipating turmoil. In 2016, CPI(M) candidate Tapasi Mondal had won the seat, defeating Madhurima Mondal of the TMC by a margin of more than 50 per cent or 21,000 votes. BJP’s Pradip Kumar Bijali secured 13,000 votes and finished a distant third. However, last year, Tapasi Mondal jumped ship to the BJP and is contesting from Haldia for the saffron party. Meanwhile, TMC has fielded Swapan Naskar.
Kharagpur Sadar
Kharagpur Sadar constituency comes under the Medinipur Lok Sabha seat and is represented by BJP state president Dilip Ghosh. Currently, TMC’s Pradip Sarkar is the sitting candidate. He had won the seat in the November 2019 bypoll after it fell vacant by BJP MLA Dilip Ghosh’s election to the Lok Sabha. This time, BJP has fielded actor Hiranmoy Chatterjee against the TMC candidate.
South 24 Parganas
Known as Trinamool stronghold, South 24 Parganas has 31 Assembly constituencies. In 2016, the TMC managed to win 29 of 31 seats in the district. In 2019, the BJP did manage to make a dent in the North 24 Parganas in the last parliamentary election but it failed to score a victory in South 24 Parganas.
Assam:
| Ratabari (SC) | Dholai (SC) | Kamalpur | Jagiroad (SC) |
| Patherkandi | Udharbond | Rangiya | Marigaon |
| Karimganj North | Lakhipur | Nalbari | Laharighat |
| Karimganj South | Barkhola | Panery (ST) | Raha (SC) |
| Badarpur | Katigorah | Udalguri (ST) | Nowgong |
| Hailakandi | Haflong (ST) | Majbat | Barhampur |
| Katlicherra | Bokajan (ST) | Kalaigaon Darrang | Jamunamukh |
| Algapur | Howraghat (ST) | Sipajhar | Hojai |
| Silchar | Diphu (ST) | Mangaldoi (SC) | Lumding |
| Sonai | Baithalangso (ST) | Dalgaon |
Key Details About Candidates in Phase 2 of Polling
A total of 345 candidates are in the fray for 39 constituencies. While 649 nominations were filed, 30 of them were rejected and 33 were withdrawn. Of the 345 candidates, there are four ministers and the deputy speaker of the Assam assembly, whose fate will be sealed in the Phase-2 polls. The ruling BJP is contesting in 34 seats and its allies, the AGP in six and the UPPL in three, with friendly contests in four constituencies-two each with the AGP and the UPPL. The Congress is contesting in 27, its allies the AIUDF in eight and BPF in four. Meanwhile, the newly formed Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) is contesting in 17 seats while 174 independents are also in the fray.
Prominent faces
Documents to carry to the polling booth:
Voters need to carry at least one of these ID proofs while voting.
Voter ID card
PAN Card
Driving License
Indian Passport
MNREGA Job Card
Bank/Post Office Passbooks with photograph
Pension document with photograph
Service Identity Cards with photographs issued by Central/State Govt./PSUs/Public Limited Companies
Polling in the 294-member Bengal Assembly is being conducted in eight phases — March 27, April 1, April 6, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26, and April 29. The results will be declared on May 2.
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