West Bengal Elections 2nd Phase: Noise of campaign stopped, voting on 29th April, 3,21,73,837 voters will vote

Kolkata. The campaign for the second and last phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections came to a halt on Monday evening, with the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leveling sharp allegations against each other over issues like special intensive revision (SIR) of voter lists, infiltration, corruption, unemployment and other issues and making many tempting promises to the voters.

In the second phase, polling will be held in 142 assembly constituencies of the state on April 29, in which a total of 3,21,73,837 voters, including 1,64,35,627 men, 1,57,37,418 women and 792 third-gender voters, are eligible to vote. In the first phase, voting for 152 seats was held on April 23, in which a record 93.19 percent voters exercised their franchise.

During the vigorous campaign for the second phase, BJP leaders accused Trinamool Congress of making West Bengal a hub for infiltrators. At the same time, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that BJP is indulging in divisive politics and is trying to divide the state and interfere in the eating habits of the people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Vishwa Sharma and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and other top leaders during the election campaign cornered Trinamool over the alleged decline in law and order, increasing crimes against women, political violence, infiltration and corruption.

During the election campaign, Modi accused Mamata of promoting “jungle raj” in Bengal and failing to ensure women’s safety and industrial development. He offered prayers at Matua Thakurbari in Bongaon and Thanthania Kalibari temple in Kolkata and assured the Hindu refugees that they would be provided “permanent residence” in the country. Modi said in various rallies that Bengal needs to be freed from fear and violence.

He promised to build a “developed Bengal” through employment generation and industrial revival. The Prime Minister claimed that Bengal is ready to move out of the rule of “fear” of the Trinamool Congress and move towards the rule of “trust” of the BJP. He said, “I promise that the brothers and sisters of the Matua Namasudra community will be provided citizenship under the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act). They will be provided the same documents as other citizens of this country.”

Modi alleged, “Trinamool Congress has stopped talking about ‘Maa, Mati, Manush’ because doing so will expose the sins committed by them in Bengal.” Referring to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s slogan “Give me blood, I will give you freedom”, he told the people, “You vote for BJP and I will give you freedom from Trinamool’s ‘Mahajungle Raj’.”

At the same time, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee claimed in an election rally after the first phase of voting on April 23 that her party has already crossed the 100 mark and its power in the state will remain intact. “Voting took place on 152 seats in the first phase. We have crossed the 100 seat mark in the first phase itself. Voting on the remaining 142 seats will be held on April 29. If you all vote for us, we will get two-thirds majority,” Mamata said at a rally held in Bhawanipur.

Mamata hit out at Home Minister Amit Shah over his alleged comment that Trinamool workers would be “hung upside down” after the elections. The Chief Minister raised questions over the use of such language by a person holding a constitutional post and said his party would initiate legal action against Shah. The Trinamool supremo termed the Prime Minister’s sudden move to stop at a simple shop and buy Jhalmudi during the election campaign in Jhargram as a “gimmick”.

Mamata also expressed concern over the deletion of people’s names from the voter list during the SIR process. He accused the officials appointed by the Election Commission of bias and warned them against alleged excesses. Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Tejashwi Yadav also campaigned in support of Trinamool. He appealed to the voters to vote against BJP. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi targeted both Trinamool and BJP during the election campaign in Kolkata.

At the same time, Shah accused the Trinamool government of failing on the fronts of governance, law and order and employment. He said that this election is important to free West Bengal from terror, riots and infiltrators. Shah promised that if the BJP government is formed in Bengal, financial assistance of Rs 3,000 per month will be provided to women and unemployed youth and free travel for women in state transport will be provided.

However, senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee alleged that the BJP has failed to fulfill its election promises, which include “putting Rs 15 lakh in every person’s bank account and creating two crore jobs every year”.

41,001 polling stations have been set up for the second phase of elections. The activities of all polling stations will be telecast through webcasting. The Election Commission has made elaborate security arrangements for the second phase of elections and deployed 2,321 companies of central forces in seven districts. A total of 142 general observers, 95 police observers and 100 expenditure observers have been deployed.

Officials said drones equipped with cameras will also be used to monitor the election process. Kolkata has the highest deployment of central forces with 273 companies. Among the assembly constituencies where votes are to be cast in the second phase of elections, Bhangar has the maximum number of 19 candidates, while Goghat has the least number of five candidates. Mamta is also included among the major candidates whose electoral fate is to be decided in this phase. Mamta is contesting elections once again from Bhawanipur.

On this seat he is facing a tough challenge from BJP’s Subhendu Adhikari. Senior Trinamool leader Firhad Hakim is contesting against BJP candidate Rakesh Singh in Kolkata Port. This minority-dominated constituency is considered important for the ruling party in central Kolkata. Other important seats include Bhatpara, Jagatdal and Barrackpur, Bongaon, Dumdum, Sandeshkhali, Hingalganj, Ranaghat North, Ranaghat South, Rashbehari, Yadavpur and Beliganj.