Heavy security in Bengal for polling

Kolkata, May 18

Heavy presence of central forces will mark the last phase of the LS polls in West Bengal where nine constituencies will go to the polls tomorrow. In all, 710 companies of central forces are being deployed to cover 17,042 polling booths to ensure free and fair voting, officials say. There will also be 444 quick-response teams of paramilitary jawans to step in to tackle any serious situation.

In the light of West Bengal’s reputation of electoral violence, the EC has for the first time appointed special police observer and a special observer for supervising the elections. Last six phases of voting in the state have seen sporadic incidents of violence, including one at Murshidabad where a Congress worker was murdered on the polling day.

A roadshow in the city on Tuesday by BJP chief Amit Shah was marred by violence, leading to damaging of social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s bust at a college in north Kolkata.

The violent incidents prompted the EC to advance the expiry of the deadline for campaigning in the state to 10 pm on Thursday, instead of the original 6 pm on Friday.

The high-voltage campaign for the final phase saw four meetings by PM Narendra Modi and several meetings and road shows in Kolkata by CM Mamata Banerjee.

Star contestants in the last phase fray include Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, who is seeking re-election from the Diamond Harbour seat. Those in the fray also include Bengali actrors Mimi Chakraborty from Jadavpur and Nusrat Jahan from Basirhat. Both actresses are fighting on the TMC ticket. Chandra Bose, grandnephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, is also contesting from Kolkata (South). — TNS