E-Paper
In Covid’s shadow, sixth phase of polling in West Bengal today
In North 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur and Nadia, the BJP has made deep inroads with support from the Dalit Namasudra community.
Forty-three constituencies in West Bengal will vote in the sixth phase of assembly elections on Thursday, in the shadow of a rising surge of infections in the eastern state that has seen thousands attend political rallies without wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) – which have only now curtailed rallies in the state – are striving to gain an edge in the constituencies that go to the polls on Thursday.
Polling will be held in nine seats in North Dinajpur, nine in Nadia, 17 in North 24 Parganas and eight in East Burdwan district. Voting will take place amid an unprecedented spike in coronavirus infections in the state.
Meanwhile, the administration tightened security in North 24 Parganas where an unidentified man was killed and another was injured in an explosion on Tuesday night in Titagarh. Arjun Singh, the BJP MP from Barrackpore, alleged that bombs went off near his home at Bhatpara but the police harassed local residents instead. “We have started a probe and raids are being conducted,” an officer from Bhatpara police station said.
In North 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur and Nadia, the BJP has made deep inroads with support from the Dalit Namasudra community. In North Dinajpur, the BJP focused on illegal infiltration from Bangladesh and the plight of Hindu refugee families.
