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Voting began on Thursday in 152 constituencies in the first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, amid unprecedented security arrangements and a high-stakes battle that could shape the direction of the entire contest.

Polling started at 7 am with voters queueing up outside booths in districts ranging from Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri in the north to Murshidabad, Nadia, Birbhum and Hooghly in the south.

The opening round covers more than half of the state’s 294 assembly seats and is being seen as the BJP’s best opportunity to make an early breakthrough and the ruling Trinamool Congress’ most important test in its bid for a fourth consecutive term.

According to the Election Commission, over 3.60 crore electors are eligible to vote in this phase, including around 1.75 crore women and 465 third-gender voters. A record 2,450 companies of central paramilitary forces, comprising nearly 2.5 lakh personnel, have been deployed across the state for the polls, with over 8,000 polling stations identified as highly sensitive.

Districts under special surveillance

The Election Commission has placed districts such as Malda, Murshidabad, Uttar Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, Birbhum and Purba Bardhaman under special surveillance. More than 2,193 quick response teams, surveillance units and flying squads have also been deployed to prevent violence and ensure free and fair polling.

The first phase assumes political significance because it includes all 54 seats in north Bengal, the region that powered the BJP’s rise in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and helped it emerge as the principal challenger to the TMC in the 2021 assembly polls. Of the 152 seats, the BJP had won 59 in 2021, while the TMC had secured 93.

For the saffron camp, retaining its dominance in north Bengal is crucial if it is to remain in contention in the statewide battle. For the TMC, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, preventing a BJP sweep in the north is equally important to establish momentum before the second round.

91 lakh names deleted via SIR before West Bengal polls

This phase is also being closely watched because it comes after the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which resulted in the deletion of around 91 lakh names from the state’s voter list.

The controversy has sharply polarised the campaign, with the BJP alleging that the revision weeded out infiltrators and bogus voters, while the TMC has accused the Centre and the Election Commission of disenfranchising genuine electors, especially minorities and migrant workers.

Several high-profile candidates are in the fray in the first phase. Key candidates in this phase include leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari (BJP, Nandigram), former Union minister Nisith Pramanik (BJP, Mathabhanga), state minister Udayan Guha (TMC, Dinhata), Goutam Deb (TMC, Siliguri), and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Congress, Baharampur). The second phase of polling will be held on April 29. Counting of votes will take place on May 4.

Voting in Tamil Nadu begins amidst tight security

Voting for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election commenced at 7 AM on Thursday amidst tight security with people briskly lining up in front of the polling stations across the state. The key contenders for power are the ruling DMK and main opposition AIADMK while actor-politician Vijay-led TVK and Tamil nationalist Seeman-led NTK are putting up a determined fight.

Tamil Nadu’s electorate is 5.73 crore strong and they will vote in as many as 75,064 polling stations in 33,133 locations to decide the fortunes of 4,023 candidates. The total electorate comprises 2.93 women, 2.83 crore men, and 7,728 third-gender persons.

The Election Commission has deployed 1,06,418 ballot units along with 75,064 control units and VVPAT machines. To prevent any technical delays, a reserve of 20 per cent for EVMs and 30 per cent for VVPATs is being maintained, according to officials.

To ensure peaceful polling, 300 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed, alongside 83,875 state police personnel