First phase of Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal begins

Kolkata: Polling in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri seats began on Friday, an Election Commission official said.

Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, the official said, adding 56.26 lakh electors are eligible to exercise their franchise.

A total of 37 candidates, including Union minister and BJP leader Nisith Pramanik, are in the fray in the three constituencies.

Voting is taking place at 5,814 polling stations, of which 2,043 are in Cooch Behar, 1,904 in Jalpaiguri and 1,867 in Alipurduar.

All three seats are reserved, with Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri for SCs and Alipurduar for STs. The poll body has declared 746 polling stations as sensitive, including 391 in Jalpaiguri, 196 in Cooch Behar and 159 in Alipurduars.

The EC has deployed 112 companies of central forces (one company comprises 100 personnel) and 4,500 state police personnel in Cooch Behar, which is more than the other two constituencies that have remained by and large peaceful during the campaign period.

In view of the death of four people in firing allegedly by CISF personnel at a polling station in Cooch Behar’s Sitalkuchi during the 2021 assembly polls, the EC has decided not to deploy any personnel of that force at Sitalkuchi.

The poll panel has decided to deploy 2,454 state police personnel alongside 63 companies of central forces in Alipurduars, he said.

A total of 75 companies of central forces and 3,077 state police personnel will be deployed in Jalpaiguri, the official added.