Midnapore, March 17: The countdown for the Bengal Assembly elections has officially begun. The Election Commission has announced that the elections will be conducted in two phases across the state. Midnapore District Magistrate Bijin Krishna provided crucial information regarding the upcoming elections during a press briefing.
According to the District Magistrate, voting for 15 assembly constituencies will take place on April 23, with the notification for the elections being issued on March 30. The nomination process will run from March 30 to April 6, followed by the scrutiny of the nomination papers on April 7. The final date for nominations is set for April 9, and the counting of votes will occur on May 4.
Following the announcement of the election dates, officials have begun preparations for the polls, while political parties are gearing up for the contest. The BJP is claiming a change in Bengal, while the ruling TMC is determined to make a comeback. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Bengal a day before the announcement, inaugurating and laying the foundation for several projects, and urging the public to oust the TMC from power.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is not shying away from confronting the BJP. Recently, she staged a protest against the Election Commission, raising several questions regarding the SIR. In a strategic move, the BJP has fielded Suvendu Adhikari from two constituencies, Bhawanipur and Nandigram, as they aim to counter Mamata Banerjee, who was defeated by Adhikari in Nandigram by a margin of around 2,000 votes in the last elections.
On Monday, the BJP released its first list of candidates, announcing 144 names. The party has nominated several prominent leaders, including Agnimitra Paul from Asansol South, Sukumar Roy from Cooch Behar North (SC), Savitri Barman from Sitalkuchi (SC), and Ajay Roy from Dinhata.