New Delhi: With polling getting underway for the second phase of assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam on Thursday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the voters of both states to exercise their franchise in record numbers.
Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said: “Second phase of the Assam polls takes place today. Requesting all eligible voters of this phase to strengthen the festival of democracy by exercising their franchise.”
“Urging the people of West Bengal in whose seats there is polling taking place today to vote in record numbers,” he said in another tweet.
Voters were seen in large numbers, standing in queues at different polling stations in both the states.
In West Bengal, a total of 30 assembly constituencies from the districts of South 24 Parganas, Bankura, Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur are heading in to vote. Out of the 171 candidates in the fray, 152 are men and the remaining are women.
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# 73.03% and 80.43% voter turnout recorded till 6 pm in the second phase of polling in Assam and West Bengal, respectively: Election Commission of India
#WATCH| Slogans were raised after West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee arrived at the polling booth in Nandigram. pic.twitter.com/uhhSzfOknF
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021
#WATCH: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee speaks to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar over the phone at a polling booth in Nandigram. She says, “…They didn’t allow the local people to cast their vote. From morning I am campaigning…Now I am appealing to you, please see…” pic.twitter.com/mjsNQx38BB
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee visits a polling booth in Nandigram.
She is contesting against BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, from the constituency in #WestBengalElections2021 pic.twitter.com/W5IP6bjfyY
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021
48.26 per cent voter turnout in Assam; 58 per cent voter turnout recorded till 1 pm in West Bengal
बंगाल-असम में वोटिंग जारी, नंदीग्राम में कौन मारेगा बाजी?@MamataOfficial #WestBengalElections #AssamAssemblyPolls @BJP4Bengal
read more- https://t.co/cW2njfS90A pic.twitter.com/Q5KuOy191A
— Newsroom Post (@NewsroomPostCom) April 1, 2021
West Bengal elections: 37.42 per cent voter turnout recorded till 11 am in 30 seats where polling is underway for second phase
Assam elections: 27.45 per cent of 73.45 lakh voters exercise their franchise till 11 am in 39 assembly seats where polling is underway for second phase
Assam: Congress leader Sushmita Dev casts her vote at a polling station in Silchar
“Mahajoot (grand alliance) is an inclusive alliance. BJP is a communal alliance,” she says pic.twitter.com/dDNULpohGS
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021
21.71% and 29.27% voter turnout recorded till 11.17 am in the second phase of polling in Assam and West Bengal, respectively: Election Commission of India
Assam: All India United Democratic Front President Badruddin Ajmal casts his vote at polling station number 21 in Hojai#AssamAssemblyPolls pic.twitter.com/fp4T08fkEI
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021
Assam: All India United Democratic Front President Badruddin Ajmal casts his vote at polling station number 21 in Hojai#AssamAssemblyPolls pic.twitter.com/fp4T08fkEI
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021
PM Modi & Amit Shah have said they’ll send Bangladeshi infiltrators back. I want to ask them how many Bangladeshis sent back till now? I challenge them to tell if even 100 Bangladeshis have been sent back in the last 5 yrs. They are the ones who get them here: Badruddin Ajmal pic.twitter.com/mdHhALkMU2
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021
West Bengal: Police detain Mohan Singh, BJP’s Mandal President of Debra. A ruckus erupted near a polling booth in the Debra assembly constituency today as polling is underway in the second phase of assembly elections.
West Bengal: BJP polling agent at booth number 173 in Keshpur beaten up allegedly by TMC workers. The polling agent has been rushed to a hospital. BJP leader Tanmay Ghosh’s car vandalised
WB: Ruckus near a polling booth in Debra, security forces present. Voters say, “Parties called goons from outside. We’re locals, why will we create unrest? Candidate brought people here, she wants to create issue.”
BJP’s Bharti Ghosh & TMC’s Humayun Kabir contesting from here. pic.twitter.com/1losvWUkXr
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021
10.51% and 13.14% voter turnout recorded till 9 am in the second phase of polling in Assam and West Bengal, respectively: Election Commission of India
Assam: Former MoS Railways & BJP leader Rajen Gohain casts his vote at a polling booth in Nagaon. He says, “BJP will get over 35 seats out of the total 47 in the 1st phase. In the 2nd phase too, we’ll get many seats. BJP will undoubtedly form the govt with more than 75 seats.” pic.twitter.com/h2FApfFW6l
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021
West Bengal | The people here want development. We need a super speciality hospital and a women’s college here. A large number of people have come out to cast their vote today: Hiron Chatterjee, actor and BJP candidate from Kharagpur Sadar assembly constituency, pic.twitter.com/qg2Vc2fOkB
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021
West Bengal: BJP candidate from Kharagpur Sadar assembly constituency, Hiron Chatterjee visits a polling station in the constituency pic.twitter.com/KYcpciKF31
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021
Voters being screened with a temperature gun, given hand sanitiser & hand gloves as they arrive at polling booths for the second phase of #AssamAssemblyPolls. Visuals from a polling booth in Nagaon. pic.twitter.com/E0AgJzDHme
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021
West Bengal | In Nowpara, booth no. 22, Anchal-1, my polling agent has been surrounded by 150 TMC goons. He hasn’t been allowed to enter the polling booth. In Barunia, voters being threatened and shown the TMC symbol: Bharti Ghosh, BJP candidate from Debra constituency pic.twitter.com/wi12zrgq3J
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021
ITBP troops guard polling booths in East Midnapore district and help out senior citizens there, during the second phase of #WestBengalElections pic.twitter.com/TyDF9aQgz3
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021
I appeal to people to come out in large numbers to cast their vote as the whole country is looking at Nandigram. People are waiting to see if development or politics of appeasement will win here: Bharatiya Janata Party’s Nandigram candidate, Suvendu Adhikari #WestBengalElections pic.twitter.com/rc6paGKSln
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2021
Among these candidates, two are undoubtedly the most prominent figures, that is, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in December last year. Nandigram is all set to witness the most high-profile contest with Mamata and Adhikari taking on each other.
In Assam, the fate of 345 candidates in 39 constituencies across 13 districts will be decided in this phase. The election in the second phase includes 15 assembly seats in the Barak Valley.
The campaigning for the second phase saw the debate over Citizenship Amendment Act. While the BJP leaders said that they will implement the CAA, Congress has promised to “nullify it”.
Voting in Assam will be held till 6 pm while in West Bengal, polling will take place till 6:30 pm.
