January 02, 2026 01:34 am (IST)

Make this your homepage

News

New Year horror in Switzerland: Dozens feared dead in Crans-Montana bar explosion | Tobacco stocks crushed as govt slaps fresh excise duty from Feb 1 | Vodafone Idea shares explode 10% after surprise settlement and govt relief boost | No third party involved: India govt sources refute China’s Operation Sindoor ceasefire claim | Amit Shah blasts TMC over border fencing; Mamata fires back on Pahalgam and Delhi blast | 'A profound loss for Bangladesh politics': Sheikh Hasina mourns Khaleda Zia’s death | PM Modi mourns Khaleda Zia’s death, hails her role in India-Bangladesh ties | Bangladesh’s first female Prime Minister Khaleda Zia passes away at 80 | India rejects Pakistan’s Christmas vandalism remarks, cites its ‘abysmal’ minority record | Minority under fire: Hindu houses torched in Bangladesh village

Bengal polls: Second phase election underway

India Blooms News Service | | Apr 17, 2016, at 03:47 pm

#West Bengal polls # Bengal elections # Congress # Left Front # Trinamool Congress # Second phase polling

Kolkata, Apr 17 (IBNS): The second phase polling of the crucial West Bengal Assembly polls is underway on Sunday.

Polling is being conducted in 56 assembly constituencies in seven districts, including Alipurduar (5 seats), Jalpaiguri (7 seats), Darjeeling (6 seats), North Dinajpur (9 seats), South Dinajpur (6 seats), Maldah (12 seats) and Birbhum (11 seats).

About 383 candidates including 33 women are in fray in the 56 constituencies.

Number of voters in these constituencies are nearly 1 crore 22 lakh (Exact figure: 1,21,41, 609 total voters, including 58,91,717 women, 62,49,713 men and 179 transgender or third gender).

Number of polling stations are 13,645 in this phase. Seven constituencies of total 11 in Birbhum district are in LWE (Left Wing Extremism) zone. Time of polling in these constituencies is 7 am. to 4 pm. In all other constituencies, it's 7 am. to 6 pm.

Micro observers are present continuously in 675 booths and web casting is being conducted in 157 booths. For constant observation, 1516 CCTV cameras, including 367 in Birbhum and 289 in Maldah, in several booths have been set.

According to ECI sources, close to 750 companies of CPF (110 companies in Birbhum dist. only) are providing security during polls. As many as 110 Response Teams, 131 Quick Response Teams (QRT), 196 Radio Flying Squads, 94 Heavy Radio Flying Squads and 797 Mobile Surveillance Vehicles are kept ready in this phase. All are comprising of CPF personnel.

The EC also confirmed that helicopter will not be used for surveillance. TMC Birbhum dist. president Anubrata Mondal is being kept under 24x7 surveillance until the election process is over (Till May 22).

(Inputs by Deepayan Sinha)

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.

India
International

Related Images

In images: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chairs a meeting at DRDO Headquarters on 68th Foundation Day Jan 01, 2026, at 09:34 pm

In images: Amit Shah arrives in Kolkata for a 3-day visit in poll-bound West Bengal Dec 29, 2025, at 09:47 pm

In Images: PM Modi pays heartfelt tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 101st birth anniversary at Rajghat Dec 25, 2025, at 02:05 pm