Bengal polls second phase will be held on Thursday (April 1) that will witness the most awaited contest in the 8-phased assembly election. Out of 30 constituencies where polling is scheduled, Nandigram is going to be the prime focus as incumbent chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her former close aide Suvendu Adhikari now with the BJP are in the fray. Earlier, voting for the first phase was held on Saturday (March 27) that saw nearly 80 per cent voter turnout. The counting of votes will be held on May 2.
Key candidates in Bengal elections second phase
- Mamata Banerjee (TMC) vs Suvendu Adhikari (BJP)
- Firoza Bibi (TMC) vs Shintu Senapati (BJP) vs Chittaranjan Das Thakur (CPIM) in Panskura Paschim
- Sangram Kumar Dolui (TMC) vs Ashoke Dinda (BJP) vs Manik Bhownik in Moyana
Prestige battle in Nandigram
The high-profile Nandigram constituency, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is pitted against her one-time loyalist-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari of BJP, will vote in the second phase.
ALSO READ | Bengal polls 2021 second phase: Polling in 30 constituencies including Nandigram on April 1. Check list
Banerjee is seeking a third term in office from Nandigram Assembly constituency of Purbo Midnipur district. For her, and the BJP, the battle for Nandigram is a prestige fight because it was the 2007 agitation against land acquisition in the region which catapulted the West Bengal Chief Minister to the centre stage of politics in the state, paving the way for the Trinamool's victory in the 2011 Assembly polls that ended 34 years of Left Front rule.
A total of 171 candidates are in the fray for the second phase polls in West Bengal's 30 seats where 75,94,549 voters will exercise their franchise.
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