Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata

Kolkata, Apr 23: Voting began at 7 a.m. on Thursday across 152 Assembly constituencies in 16 districts as West Bengal entered the first phase of its closely watched two-phase election.

Early hours saw strong voter participation, with queues forming outside several polling stations even before voting officially commenced. Election officials noted visible enthusiasm among voters as the democratic exercise got underway.

For the first time in this election cycle, voters are undergoing a two-layer verification process—initially by Central Armed Police Force personnel at entry points, followed by confirmation by Booth Level Officers inside the polling station premises.

While the overall process remained peaceful in the early hours, isolated technical issues were reported. At a polling station in Durgapur in West Burdwan district, mock polling was delayed due to a faulty EVM battery. Similar disruptions were also reported in Siliguri and Baharampur, where mock polling could not begin on time.

The election is being conducted across a wide geographical spread, covering districts in both North and South Bengal. These include Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, North and South Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, East and West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, West Burdwan, and Birbhum.

Seven of these districts have been placed under special monitoring by the Election Commission of India due to security concerns. To ensure peaceful voting, authorities have deployed a massive security apparatus of 2,407 companies of central forces, including Central Armed Police Forces, India Reserve Battalions, and personnel from other states, alongside state police units.

All polling stations are under continuous webcasting surveillance to enhance transparency and monitoring.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also urged voters to participate in large numbers, especially encouraging youth and women to take part in what he described as a “festival of democracy.”

Senior election officials, including Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal and Election Commission-appointed observers, conducted overnight reviews to ensure preparedness for a free, fair, and peaceful voting process.

The second phase of polling for the remaining 142 constituencies is scheduled for April 29, while vote counting will take place on May 4.