New Delhi: West Bengal is voting in the second and final phase of its Assembly elections on Wednesday, with polling underway across 142 constituencies spread over the state’s politically significant southern region. Voting began in the morning and will continue till 6:30 pm, with provisions allowing electors already in the queue at closing time to exercise their franchise.
This phase includes major districts such as Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Hooghly, and Purba Bardhaman, which together form the core electoral base of the Trinamool Congress, according to the reports.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, the party had secured 123 of these 142 seats, while the BJP won 18 and the Indian Secular Front secured one.
The key focus in this round is whether the BJP can make inroads into the ruling party’s stronghold in southern Bengal, after gaining ground in parts of the northern region, or whether the Trinamool Congress under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee retains its dominance and moves closer to a fourth consecutive term.
The first phase saw strong voter participation, and similar turnout trends are expected in the concluding phase as campaigning issues such as governance, welfare schemes, and corruption give way to voting.
Amid polling, political exchanges intensified. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya claimed there was a strong pro-BJP wave in West Bengal, asserting that the party’s influence was expanding across states. He also referred to political developments in other states while projecting momentum for the BJP in Bengal.
BJP leader and candidate Suvendu Adhikari, who is contesting from Bhabanipur and Nandigram, interacted with voters during polling and made a remark suggesting defeat for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur.
On the other hand, Banerjee levelled allegations against central forces and election observers, claiming they were acting under political influence and interfering in the electoral process. She alleged that voters were being intimidated and questioned the conduct of polling in certain areas, while also stating that party symbols and presence had been removed in some locations before voting.
