Assembly Elections 2016

West Bengal assembly polls: 50,000 security personnel to guard last phase

Close to 50,000 security personnel, including 361 companies of central forces, have been deployed to ensure that polling for the sixth and last phase of West Bengal elections is held in a free and fair manner.

Assembly Elections Commission officials said 123 companies of central forces are manning Coochbehar district while another 238 companies are stationed in East Midnapore district.

Another contingent of 4,500 state police personnel, have been deployed to assist the central forces in Coochbehar while 7,500 personnel are in East Midnapore district.

Together, the two districts have 25 constituencies going to the hustings tomorrow.

Assembly Elections 2016: Political parties go all out to woo enclave voters

With the enclave residents all set to vote for the first time since Independence, the new voters are being aggressively wooed by various political parties, who are taking credit for resolving the 68-year old border dispute.

"It is our government which has resolved this enclave problem. None of the previous state governments could address the same. But we had solved this problem and given you the rights," Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee said at various rallies in Coochbehar district.

Banerjee's comments are echoed by party's district President Rabindranath Ghosh who promised to usher in development if TMC won in Coochbehar.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is heading the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre, also took the credit of resolving the enclave problems.

"It was our government at the Centre that took the initiative and solved the problem. We have been with the people of enclaves from the very beginning and our government has been very proactive," BJP National Secretary Rahul Sinha said.

Assembly Elections Result: The 51 enclaves are spread across Dinhata, Mekliganj, Sitai, Sitalkuchi and Toofanganj Assembly constituencies, with over 14,864 residents, has over 9,776 registered voters.

The six Assembly constituencies were Mekhliganj (584), Sitalkuchi (1,980), Sitai (1,362), Dinhata (5,605), Natabari (0) and Tufanganj (9).

Out of 9,540 eligible voters, 9,209 enrolled themselves to vote on May 5 in 41 polling stations. There were 567 more voters among the 922 people in the settlements in Coochbehar.

In the Sitalkuchi and Sitai Assembly constituencies, where TMC and its then alliance partner Congress had won with a slender margin of 257 and 1,577 votes, respectively, in last assembly polls, the votes of enclave dwellers could play a vital role as well as in Dinhata.

Striking a different note, the CPI(M), however, refuted the claims by TMC and BJP and said that both the parties had stalled the enclave exchange during the United Progressive Alliance rule.

"Both the parties have stalled the process of enclave exchange during UPA rule. It was the rehabilitation package that ensured that the state agreed to give a nod to the enclave exchange," CPI(M) Politburo member Mohammed Salim said.More news about Elections.

Assembly Elections 2016 India

With the campaign intensifying for the May 16 Assembly Elections 2016 in the state, rebel candidates and namesakes are posing a threat to winning prospects of candidates, especially to those of Congress-led UDF, in some constituencies in Kerala.

While UDF candidates face the rebel threat the most, including on many seats they currently hold, CPI(M)-ledLDF and BJP-led NDA seem to have less number of rebels according to the final candidates' list.

The last date for withdrawing nominations ended on Monday and 1203 candidates are in the fray for 140 seats.

Assembly Elections : Even though the main battle is between UDF and LDF, the NDA has made the electoral contest triangular in many constituencies.

K C Joseph, state's minister for rural development and a close confidant of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who is seeking eighth term to the Assembly from Irikkur, is among the prominent UDF candidates facing rebel threat.

It is significant that Joseph's candidature had been objected to by local Congress workers. However, ignoring the protest, the party leadership decided to field him.

Rebel Congress leader Binoy Thomas is taking on Joseph under the banner 'Save Congress'. Sitting MLAs P C Vishnunath (Chengannur), K M Shaji (Azhikode), and Domenic Presentation (Kochi) are also facing the rebel threat.

Former MLA Shobhana George, who was denied ticket this time, is actively campaigning against Vishnunath.

Once a strong loyalist of former chief minister late K Karunakaran, Shobhana had filed her nomination papers in the last Assembly polls also. But she withdrew at the last minute following the intervention by senior party leaders.

Assembly Elections Results : However, Shobhana refused to budge to the party leadership pressure this time. She said she has decided to contest this time as the party leadership "failed" to meet the promise that she would be given a ticket this time.

K M Shaji, who is contesting against CPI(M)'s journalist-turned candidate M V Nikesh Kumar, is facing a huge threat from P K Ragesh, who came into the limelight after winning as rebel against the official candidate in the last civic polls.

Former district panchayat member K J Lenus is threatening the winning prospects of Kochi MLA Domenic Presentation while Kerala Congress (M) leader C F Thomas is facing stiff challenge from Youth Congress leader K Suresh who is contesting as an Independent in Changanassery.

Namesakes, who ensured many prominent candidates did not win in the previous polls, are in fray in some constituencies this time as well.

RMP candidate in Vadakara and widow of TP Chandrasekharan, KK Rema, is one of the contestants facing such a threat.

UDF's K S Sabarinathan and K Babu, LDF's Antony Raju and M Swaraj are also facing similar threats in their respective constituencies. See more Elections news.

Assembly Elections 2016

In Assam, all preparations have been put in place for the second and final phase of 

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Assembly Election 2016 as 61 seats will go to polls in this phase today.

A total of 525 candidates are in the fray in this phase and polling personnel deployed to conduct elections have reached their booths.

Additional CEO Nitin Khade said that central armed police forces have been deployed at almost all polling booths and that adequate security measures have been taken and additional forces have also been deployed as per requirement.

1617 booths have been identified as hyper sensitive in this phase and a total of 1.4 crore eligible voters can exercise their franchise.

Most of seats are likely to witness triangular fight between BJP - Asom Gana Parishad- BPF alliance, AIUDF and Congress-UPP combination.

While BJP has put candidates in 35 assemblies, its ally Asom Gana Parishad will contest in 19 seats and BPF will vie in 10 seats.

Congress and its ally UPP are contesting all 61 seats and AIUDF candidates are in the race for 47 seats.

Among the prominent candidates, Asom Gana Parishad leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta from Bahrampur, Congress leader Rockybul Hussein at Samaguri, BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma from Jalukbari and AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal will contest from North Salmara seat.

In West Bengal, full preparations have been made and security increased for voting today for 31 Assembly seats in Paschim Medinpur, Bankura and Burdwan districts. Polling parties have already reported reaching to the designated polling centres for booth level final arrangements of voting.

Monday's phase 1-B polling will be held in 13 constituencies of Paschim Medinipur, 9 of Burdwan and 9 in Bankura district.

Approximately, 70 lakh voters are enrolled to decide the electoral fate of 163 candidates, including 21 females.

The highest number of 10 candidates are in the fray for Chhatna seat in Bankura while the lowest, total 3, are fighting for Keshpur in Paschim Medinipur.

All the seats are mainly poised for a triangular contest between the ruling Trinamul Congress, BJP and the Left-Congress combine candidates.

BJP and TMC have put up candidates on all the 31 seats. The CPI-M candidates are contesting on 19 leaving one seat each for CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc and 8 for Congress.

Elections 2016 : Congress' ten time nonagenarian MLA and former minister Gyan Singh Sohanpal and state BJP chief Dilip Kumar Ghosh are locked on Kharagpur Sadar seat while prominent CPI-M candidate Surjya Kanta Mishra and Congress leader Manas Bhunia are trying to retain Naraingarh and Sabang seats, respectively.

Pingla, Bishnupur and Asansol Uttar are also among the key constituencies in this round of polling as three members of the outgoing Mamata cabinet are locked in three-cornered fight.

In all, 350 companies of Central security forces have been deployed to ensure peaceful, free and fair voting. State Additional CEO Dibyendu Sarkar told AIR that Central forces have been deployed at all the polling stations to ensure free and fair polling.

The local police will maintain the voters' queues outside the booths. Interstate borders along the three districts have been sealed and aerial surveillance started as parts of the constituencies, spread in Paschim Medinipur and Bankura have been categorized as very sensitive from the security angle.

Online monitoring through mobile van mounted live feeding cameras and CCTVs will be done by the Election Commission. Several model polling stations and all women poling centres have been arranged for convenience of the voters.

Amid 44 to 45 degree celsius temperature, the polling parties of Bankura, Paschim Medinipur and Burdwan kept collecting the Polling material kits and EVM packages from their respective sub-divisional centres on Saturday and left for respective destinations to conduct polling today.

Members of several such parties who collected their polling kits from Christian Collegiate School in Bankura Sadar sub-division told AIR that they are carrying precautionary kits to beat the severe heat.