West Bengal elections phase 5 live updates | Polling begins for 45 seats

Over one crore voters in West Bengal will resolve the political destiny of 342 candidates on Saturday, when 45 meeting constituencies go to polls within the fifth phase, amid a raging second wave of COVID-19.

Security measures have been heightened for phase 5 in view of the violence within the earlier phase, which witnessed the demise of 5 folks in Cooch Behar, together with 4 in CISF firing.

The Election Commission has determined to deploy at the least 853 corporations of central forces to make sure free and truthful voting, an official of the ballot panel stated.

Here are the live udpates:

8.10 am

PM Modi urges voters to show up in giant numbers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, April 17, 2021, urged voters within the fifth phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections to vote in giant numbers.  In tweets, he additionally famous that bypolls to many meeting and Lok Sabha seats have been happening on Saturday, and requested folks to vote in file numbers and strengthen the competition of democracy.

“Urging all those voting in today’s fifth phase of the West Bengal elections to vote in large numbers. First time voters in particular should exercise their franchise,” Mr. Modi added.

7.14 am

Polling begins, destiny of 342 candidates to be sealed

The polling for the fifth phase of West Bengal meeting elections started at 7 am on Saturday, April 17, 2021 throughout 45 meeting segments amid tight safety.

Long queues have been seen outdoors polling cubicles the place voting is underway adhering to COVID-19 protocols, official sources stated.

Over one crore voters are eligible to train their franchise to resolve the political destiny of 342 candidates.

The polling will proceed until 6:30 pm.

Central forces deployed

1071 corporations of central forces for polling

The Election Commission of India has deployed 1,071 corporations of Central forces for polling in 45 Assembly seats throughout six districts of the State on Saturday. Going by the deployment of Central armed police forces within the 4 earlier phases, that is the very best ever deployment of forces. This can be the very best variety of Assembly seats going to polls in any phase within the marathon eight phase election within the State.

In North 24 Parganas, over 280 corporations of Central forces have been deployed for 16 Assembly seats. Darjeeling has about 142 corporations. Purba Bardhaman, the place eight seats are going to the polls, can have 155 corporations, and Nadia district, the place the same variety of seats are going to the polls, can have 151 corporations. Thirteen seats in north Bengal are unfold throughout three districts — 5 in Darjeeling, seven in Jalpaiguri and one in Kalimpong. In south Bengal, 16 seats are unfold throughout North 24 Parganas, and there are eight every in Nadia and Bardhaman.

Amid tall ballot guarantees, misery looms over north Bengal tea gardens

Over the previous few elections, Benam Oraon, a tea backyard employee at Nagrakata Tea Estate in West Bengal, attended a number of election conferences and saved a word of the guarantees which political events made. This election, nevertheless, he’s contesting the polls as a candidate from Nagrakata Assembly seat in Jalpaiguri district representing an unregistered Progressive People’s (*45*) .

“My election symbol is football. This is to give a message that tea garden workers have been treated like a football by the political parties,” the tea backyard employee stated.

Jorasanko battle

Jorasanko a status battle for BJP

In the tightly poised 11 seats in Kolkata metropolis the place the Trinamool Congress has held floor prior to now, the BJP is hoping to make headway this time round and one of many seats its hopes are pinned on is the ancestral residence of the Tagore household, Jorasanko. 

The space’s fame outdoors of Kolkata is its connection to the Tagore household, the Thakur Bari or mansion of the Tagore household, former residence to Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, and at present a museum.