Adhir Ranjan welcomes Lok Sabha polls in seven phases in Bengal

Kolkata: Welcoming the Election Commission's decision to conduct the general elections in West Bengal in seven phases, Pradesh Congress Committee president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday expressed satisfaction with the move, saying it was necessary to ensure a peaceful electoral process.

Chowdhury emphasised the importance of deploying central forces well in advance of the polling dates to instill a sense of security among voters.

He cited the success of early deployment of central forces during the March 2023 bypolls in Sagardighi, which facilitated fair polling and enabled voters to cast their votes without fear.

"We have seen the good results of early deployment of central forces in Sagardighi during last year's bypolls. That helped the voters to gain the courage to participate in polling resulting in the defeat of the TMC," he added.

"I had also told the CEC that deploying the central forces a couple of days before polls would not give the common man a sense of security. I will request the CEC to deploy central forces much before the polling date so that people get a sense of security and cast their votes," he said.

During discussions with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Chowdhury and his party colleagues advocated for the polling to be conducted in multiple phases to ensure a peaceful and transparent electoral process.

On the other hand, the TMC, which had preferred a single or twin-phase polling, expressed concerns that holding the elections in multiple phases could favour political parties with significant financial resources, as it might give them an advantage over their opponents.

The general election in West Bengal will take place in seven phases starting from April 19, with the seventh phase scheduled for June 1. Counting is on June 4.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election in West Bengal, the TMC secured 22 seats, while the Congress and the BJP won two and 18 seats, respectively.