Over 1 crore voters in West Bengal will decide the political fate of 306 candidates on Thursday, when 43 Assembly constituencies go to polls in the sixth phase, amid a raging second wave of COVID-19.
The Election Commission on Wednesday ruled out any change in the schedule of the polls and told the Trinamool Congress that its suggestion to club the last three of the eight phases is “not feasible”.
Security measures have been heightened in view of the violence in the previous phases, particularly the death of five people in Cooch Behar in the fourth phase of polling on April 10, an Election Commission official said.
The poll panel has decided to deploy at least 1,071 companies of central forces in the sixth phase to ensure free and fair voting, he said.
Here are the live updates:
7.05 am
Polling begins
Amid tight security, polling for 43 constituencies began in sixth phase of assembly elections in West Bengal on Thursday, April 22, 2021. Long queues were seen outside most of the polling…