Voting Ends in Second Phase of West Bengal Assembly Elections Amid Tight Security Across 142 Seats

Kolkata West Bengal : Voting for the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded across 142 constituencies spread over seven districts, with extensive security and administrative arrangements in place to ensure smooth polling.
The Election Commission of India carried out a large-scale deployment across the state, stationing more than 350,000 security personnel to maintain law and order during the polling process. In Kolkata alone, nearly 35,000 security personnel were deployed, while around 2,550 companies of central armed police forces were assigned duties across the state.
To strengthen monitoring and ensure transparency, the Election Commission appointed 142 general observers and 95 police observers. In a major development, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was deployed for the first time during the elections to deal with any serious incidents of violence or major security threats.

This phase of the election is being seen as especially significant because of several high-profile contests. One of the most closely watched battles is between Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari. The result of this contest is expected to play an important role in shaping the broader political narrative in the state.
Adding to the importance of this phase, eight ministers from the ruling government are also in the fray, raising the political stakes further. Altogether, 1,448 candidates are contesting in this phase, with more than 32 million eligible voters expected to participate.
The first phase of polling had already been held earlier on April 23 in 152 constituencies, making this second phase another crucial step in the state’s multi-phase election process.
Leader of opposition of BJP Suvendu Adhikari expressed confidence about his party’s performance, saying the BJP would secure a full majority in the state. He also said that his party would defeat Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has introduced a dedicated helpline for citizens to report electoral violations, underlining its commitment to ensuring free and fair elections.
The counting of votes will take place on May 4.