West Bengal / Voting begins for final phase of Assembly elections in West Bengal

Kolkata: Voting for the eighth and final phase of the ongoing West Bengal assembly elections will begin on Thursday at 7am at polling booths across 35 assembly constituencies going to the polls in this phase. Later in the day, after 7:30pm, news channels and poll agencies will come out with their exit polls for the five assembly elections held recently, including the one in Bengal. The first round of the polling took place on March 27, followed by the subsequent phases on April 1, 6, 10, 17, 22 and 26 respectively. Counting of votes and declaration of results for all 294 constituencies in the eastern state, as well as the four other assembly elections, will take place on May 2.

For the counting day, the Election Commission of India (ECI), under fire for scheduling the elections in eight phases amid the current second wave of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), has banned victory processions on or after the counting of votes on May 2. The ECI earlier said the final few phases of the voting will not be merged.

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and chief minister Mamata Banerjee are facing a stiff challenge from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While the TMC and Banerjee are looking at a third straight term in office, the BJP is aiming at forming its first government in Bengal. The Congress, meanwhile, contested these polls in an alliance with the Left and the recently-formed Indian Secular Front (ISF).