Polling has commenced for the crucial first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections today, April 23. A total of 152 out of the state's 294 seats are up for grabs, encompassing all 54 constituencies in north Bengal, alongside several others spread across Murshidabad, Nadia, Birbhum, and Hooghly districts.
More than 3.60 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in this phase. Security measures are extensive, with 2,450 companies of central forces deployed and over 8,000 polling stations identified as highly sensitive. The political significance of this phase, particularly in north Bengal, is substantial as it could set the early tone for the entire election.
North Bengal: A Key Battleground
For the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), north Bengal has historically served as a critical entry point into the state's political landscape. This region was instrumental in the party's strong showing in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and its emergence as the primary challenger to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the 2021 assembly polls. In that election, across these 152 seats now voting, the BJP secured 59 seats compared to the TMC's 93. Retaining or improving upon this performance is vital for the BJP to maintain its statewide competitiveness, especially against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s established dominance in the southern parts of the state.
Conversely, the ruling TMC faces the challenge of preventing a BJP surge in the northern districts. Success here could significantly influence the broader electoral contest before it shifts towards the party's strongholds in the south.
Electoral Roll Deletions and Political Tensions
Ahead of the elections, over 91 lakh names were deleted from the electoral rolls under a Special Intensive Revision, reducing the electorate by nearly 12%. Significant deletions were observed in districts like Murshidabad (over 7.48 lakh), Nadia (4.85 lakh), Malda (4.59 lakh), Uttar Dinajpur (3.63 lakh), and Cooch Behar (over 2.42 lakh).
The BJP has framed this exercise as a referendum on infiltration and citizenship, while the TMC has criticized it as an attempt to disenfranchise genuine voters, particularly minorities, migrant workers, and the poor. Tensions over these deletions have been particularly sharp in Malda and Murshidabad, with protests reported in areas like Mothabari in Malda.
Diverse Constituencies and Key Contests
The political geography of this first phase is complex, stretching from the tea gardens of Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar to the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, and from the Rajbanshi belt of Cooch Behar to the border districts of Malda and Uttar Dinajpur. Local issues such as the unresolved Gorkha question, tea garden worker wages, economic distress, and Rajbanshi identity continue to shape voting patterns.
Key contests to watch include Nandigram, where Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari seeks to defend his seat against his former aide Prabitra Kar. In Baharampur, Congress veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury returns to assembly politics to challenge BJP MLA Subrata Maitra. Other closely watched battles are in Mathabhanga and Dinhata, where former Union minister Nisith Pramanik and state minister Udayan Guha are fighting to maintain their party's respective holds.