EC ready for second phase of polling in West Bengal

The Election Commission today said the second phase of elections in six Lok Sabha seats of West Bengal on April 24 will be held amid tight security to ensure free, fair and peaceful polling.
"The second phase polling in the state's Raiganj, Balurghat, Malda (North), Malda (South), Jangipur and Murshidabad Lok Sabha constituencies on April 24 will be held amid tight security with deployment of central forces more than double to what was done during the 2011 Assembly polls," OSD in the Chief Electoral Officer's office Amit Roy Chowdhury said here.
Polling personnel in all these constituencies have already started moving to their places of duty along with EVMs and other necessary material, he said.

"Besides six general observers, six expenditure observers, three police observers and a number of micro-observers, arrangements have been made for webcasting and live monitoring of sensitive areas," Roy Chowdhury said.
The polling station of Umeshtala Primary School at Godichar in Malda district is the farthest polling station, while Futkabari Sishu Siksha Kendra in the same district has the highest number of 56 per cent women voters, he said.
The five districts covering six Lok Sabha seats in the second phase of polling have altogether seven polling stations totally run by women and all in Malda district, he said adding these five districts would have 29 model polling stations.

Murshidabad constituency has the highest number of 1,897 polling stations, while Balurghat has the lowest of 1,487.

Elector-wise, Murshidabad is on the top with 15,10,759 voters and Balurghat at the bottom with 12,53,543 voters.
While the highest number of 17 candidates are in fray in Malda (South), Jangipur has 11 candidates, which is the lowest among the six seats going to the polls.
Altogether 78 candidates, including four women, are in the fray in this phase.
Among the 30 candidates contesting in this phase representing recognised national and state political parties, six each are from Trinamool Congress, Congress, BJP and BSP, while five were from the CPI(M) and one from the RSP.

Besides, 40 candidates were from other registered political parties and eight independents, Roy Chowdhury added.