Kolkata, Mar 5 (FN Agency) The notification for the second phase election to thirty Assembly seats in West Bengal was issued on Friday by the Election Commission. In the second phase of polling, elections will be held in 4 districts and 30 assembly seats. The districts include Bankura Part II, East Midnapore Part II, West Midnapore Part II and South 24 Parganas Part I on April 1. With the issue of notification, the nomination process began. The thirty Assembly Constituencies of West Bengal going to polls in the Second Phase are 127 – Gosaba (SC) 130 – Patharpratima 131 – Kakdwip 132 – Sagar 203 – Tamluk 204 – Panskura Purba 205 – Panskura Paschim 206 – Moyna 207 – Nandakumar 208 – Mahisadal 209 – Haldia (SC) 210 – Nandigram 211 – Chandipur 224 – Kharagpur Sadar 225 – Narayangarh 226 – Sabang 227 – Pingla 229 – Debra 230 – Daspur 231 – Ghatal (SC) 232 – Chandrakona (SC) 235 – Keshpur (SC) 251 – Taldangra 252 – Bankura 253 – Barjora 254 – Onda 255 – Bishnupur 256 – Katulpur (SC) 257 – Indus (SC) 258 – Sonamukhi (SC).
The filing of nominations for the second phase ends on March 12. Scrutiny of the same will be done on March 15. The last day of withdrawal of candidature is March 17. The political parties are gearing up for the longest phase of polls in the state assembly elections. This time the polls will be held in eight phases. Major political parties are expected to announce their candidates at least for the initial phases within the next few days. Ruling Trinamool Congress is expected to introduce some new candidates while BJP is also preparing to rope in popular faces. However, the new alliance of the Left parties, Congress and the Indian Secular Front is yet to finalize seat-sharing between the latter ones. The Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal Ariz Aftab has written to the District Election Officers to keep contractual workers of the state government away from the poll process. Meanwhile, the ruling TMC has demanded the removal of Sudeep Jain, the deputy election commissioner in-charge of the state, accusing him of being biased against it and breaking norms of the federal structure.
On the other hand, BJP has demanded the removal of administrators appointed by the state government in municipal corporations after the end of the term. The united front of Congress, Left parties and ISF alleged that the model code of conduct is being violated by some of the officers of police and administration. Already 118 companies central forces have reached Bengal and they are engaged in route march and area domination to instil confidence among voters. 170 more companies of central forces are expected to arrive in the state by March 8. West Bengal assembly election is going to be a high stake event this fall as both BJP and TMC have unleashed challenge against each other. Even months before the polls, BJP has been aggressively campaigning in the state, targeting the incumbent Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government. Several big names of the TMC, have left their party and joined BJP ahead of the election, questioning the conduct of the Mamata Banerjee led state government. Names like Suvendu Adhikari, Rajib Banerjee, Baishali Dalmiya, former Howrah mayor Rathin Chakraborty and actor Rudranil Ghosh, others have joined the BJP ahead of elections. Meanwhile, BJP’s star campaigners including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, party Chief JP Nadda, national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargia, others have been actively campaigning in the state months before the forthcoming polls.