The stage is set for the second and final phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections on April 29. Polling will take place across 142 constituencies spread over six districts—including Nadia, East Burdwan, Hooghly, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Howrah—and the state capital, Kolkata. Election officials have already dispatched EVMs, VVPATs, and other essential materials to the respective polling stations to ensure a smooth democratic process.
An electorate of over 3.21 crore registered voters, comprising roughly 1.64 crore men and 1.57 crore women, will decide the electoral fate of 1,448 candidates. Among the contenders in the fray, 1,228 are male and 220 are female, contesting across 107 general seats, 34 SC-reserved seats, and one ST-reserved seat. Interestingly, Bhangar in the South 24 Parganas district has the highest number of candidates at 15, while the Hooghly district has the lowest at five.
To ensure free and fair elections, voting will be conducted under an unprecedented security cover with the deployment of 2,407 companies of central forces, working alongside state police personnel. Over 41,000 polling stations have been set up to accommodate the massive voter base, and all of them will feature live webcasting to closely monitor the proceedings. The final election results for these crucial constituencies will be declared on May 4.
