Voting under way in first phase of West Bengal Assembly elections

The major contenders are the Trinamool Congress, which currently rules the state, and the BJP, which is India’s ruling party

After weeks of campaigning, the first phase of voting is under way in the assembly elections in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Voting began at 7am local time on Thursday for 152 seats in 16 districts. Polls will close at 6pm.

The major contenders in the state are the Trinamool Congress, the incumbent party in the state, and the BJP, which is India’s ruling party.

Indian media have referred to it as a “desperate fight in the midst of a political storm” over the revision of the voter list.

The Election Commission has taken strict security measures for the elections. Many are calling the intensity of the measures “war preparations”.

Assembly elections are also being held in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Kolkata-based publication Anandabazar reported that voters have started lining up outside polling booths in West Bengal’s 16 districts since the morning.

These districts are Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, and Malda in North Bengal; and East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, Murshidabad, West Burdwan and Birbhum in South Bengal.

The 152 constituencies contesting the polls in these states have a total voter count of about 36 million.

The West Bengal Assembly has 294 seats in total.

Indian broadcaster NDTV reports that the contests in at least 80 of the 152 constituencies going to polls on Thursday are expected to be close.

In 2011, the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee came to power in West Bengal, ending the 35-year rule of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M).

Since then, this splinter group of the Indian Congress has maintained its dominance in West Bengal by winning three consecutive assembly elections.

But many say that this time, Chief Minister Mamata is facing her toughest challenge.

The 2021 race was also a battle between the Trinamool Congress – which won 215 seats – and the BJP – which won 77.

To undermine Trinamool’s dominance across the state, the BJP has launched a massive campaign against the ruling party, focusing on issues of corruption, deterioration of law and order and inadequacy of development.

In this way, observers believe that they have been able to close the gap. Trinamool, for its part, has blamed the BJP central government for lagging development.

Alongside the two heavyweight parties, candidates from the Congress, CPI9M, ISF and Aam Janata Unnayan Party are also contesting the polls.

Approximately 500,000 security personnel, including the Indian central forces and police, have been deployed to supervise the polling stations this year. Analysts say the Election Commission has turned the state into a fortress by arranging unprecedented security.

The second phase of assembly elections will be held on Apr 29. The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.