7th phase: 34 Assembly seats go to polls today

Kolkata: The stage is set for the 7th phase of Assembly polls in Bengal on Monday with 34 Assembly constituencies (AC) spread across five districts going for polls. As many as 268 candidates from different political parties are in the fray during the 7th phase of polls, covering all six constituencies in South Dinajpur, six in Malda, nine in Murshidabad, four in Kolkata South and nine in West Burdwan. A total of 37 candidates are female.

The total number of electorates, including service voters in these constituencies, is 8196242 with 4200447 male electorates and 3988239 female voters. The total number of polling booths is 11376, including 8634 main and 2742 auxiliary booths. The number of 80 plus voters is 101069, while 50919 are PWD (Persons with Disabilities) voters. The total number of service electorates is 7335, third gender voters are 221. There are 33 overseas voters.

As per details provided by the Commission, the Assembly constituencies that will have polls are six seats in South Dinajpur covering Kushmandi (SC), Kumarganj, Balurghat, Tapan (ST), Gangarampur (SC), Harirampur; six in Malda including Habibpur (SC ST), Gazole, Chanchal, Harishchadrapur, Malatipur and Ratua; nine in Murshidabad comprising Farakka, Suti, Raghunathganj, Sagardighi, Lalgola, Bhagawangola, Raninagar, Murshidabad and Nabagram (SC); four in South Kolkata including Kolkata Port, Bhowanipore, Rashbehari and Ballygunge and nine in West Burdwan including Pandebeshwar, Durgapur Purba, Durgapur Paschim, Raniganj, Jamuria, Asansol Dakshin, Asansol Uttar, Kulti and Barabani.

In South Kolkata, four heavyweight Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidates are in the fray. Veteran TMC leader Subrata Mukherjee will face Fuad Halim of Sanjukta Morcha and Loknath Chattopadhyay of BJP. Debashis Kumar of TMC, who has been an effective councillor of the civic body, will face Subrata Saha, a retired Lieutenant General of the Indian Army.

Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, three-time MLA, is contesting from Bhowanipore after the two-time MLA from the seat Mamata Banerjee vacated it to contest from Nandigram Assembly constituency. Firhad Hakim will face Awad Kishore Gupta of BJP in the Kolkata Port Assembly seat.

Samsherganj and Jangipur Assembly seat in Murshidabad was bound for polls on Monday. But Sanjukta Morcha candidates from both seats succumbed to Covid. Thus, the Commission postponed the elections on both the seats to May 16.

The Election Commission has deployed 26 General Observers, 9 Expenditure Observers and 6 Police Observers for the 7th phase. There will be webcasting facilities in 50 per cent of the booths and micro observers will be deployed in 20 per cent of the booths.

The Commission will deploy about 653 companies of Central forces for the 7th phase with more concentration of forces in the bordering districts of Malda, South Dinajpur and Murshidabad.

Murshidabad will have the highest deployment of 204 companies. Malda will have 122 companies while South Dinajpur will have 110 companies. The two non-bordering districts of West Burdwan and South Kolkata will have 154 and 63 companies respectively.