Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens, especially youngsters, to come out and vote in record numbers as the first phase of West Bengal and Assam assembly elections kicked off on Saturday.
“The first phase of elections has started in Assam. All eligible voters are urged to cast their votes in record numbers. I urge all young friends to vote,” the Prime Minister tweeted in Assamese.
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“Today, Phase 1 of the West Bengal Assembly elections begin. I would request all those who are voters in the seats polling today to exercise their franchise in record numbers,” he said in another post on the microblogging site.
Voting is underway across 30 constituencies in West Bengal and 47 in Assam in the first phase of assembly elections. Polling across all 77 seats began at 7am. A long queue of voters could be seen outside polling stations across the eastern states.
This is the first set of assembly elections this year and the second after Bihar during the coronavirus pandemic.
{{/usCountry}}This is the first set of assembly elections this year and the second after Bihar during the coronavirus pandemic.
{{/usCountry}}Follow live updates on voting in West Bengal, Assam here
Both the states are witnessing a high-stake battle with the Trinamool Congress looking to retain its hold in West Bengal while the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) confident of winning a majority of over 200 seats. The BJP also aims to regain power in Assam, which was traditionally a Congress stronghold.
In Assam, a total of 264 candidates, including chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, are in the fray in the first phase. A total of 300 companies of security forces have been deployed in the first phase, in which people are voting at 11,537 polling stations across 12 districts of Upper Assam and the Northern Bank of Brahmaputra, according to news agency PTI.
Altogether, 81,09,815 voters are eligible to cast their ballot in the first phase. Of them, 40,77,210 are male and 40,32,481 female, while 124 are third gender voters, besides nine overseas voters.
Meanwhile, in Bengal, the Election Commission has deployed around 730 companies of central forces, guarding 10,288 polling booths housed in 7,061 premises, according to officials quoted by PTI. Each company of the central forces consists of 100 personnel, they said. Besides, 22,092 state police personnel have also been deployed at strategic locations, they added.
Total 73,80,942 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase. Of them, 37,52,938 are male and 36,27,949 female, while there are 55 third gender voters.
The counting of votes will be done on May 2.