Kolkata: In the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on Friday, three key constituencies of West Bengal — Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri — are in action.
The voting process commenced at 7 am under a tight security arrangement in the constituencies that are in northern part of the state.
The Central Armed Forces and state police personnel are keeping a close vigil as over 4.6 million voters set out to exercise their franchise in around 5,814 polling booths, in which some 30 candidates are seeking their electoral fates.
Though the contest is assumed to be multi-cornered, the real fight is concentrated between the state-ruling Trinamool Congress and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Left Front and Congress are among the other political parties in the run-up, while the majority of the candidates are Independents.
A fierce contest is expected between BJP candidate and union minister Nishith Pramanik and TMC’s Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia in the Cooch Behar seat, in Alipurduar between Monoj Tigga (BJP) and TMC’s Prakash Chik Baraik, and in Jalpaiguri between Jayanta Kumar Roy of the BJP and Nirmal Chandra Roy from the ruling party.
While Congress fielded Piya Roy Chowdhury from Cooch Behar, it is Milli Oraon from RSP in Alipurduar, and Debraj Burman of CPI(M) in Jalpaiguri.
In 2019, the BJP won all three seats. However, this time it replaced Alipuduar sitting MP and fielded medic Monoj Tigga.
Some 18,14,200 voters in Cooch Behar are expected to press the EVM button in about 2043 booths, of which 196 are vulnerable.
About 14,70,911 electorates in Alipurduar will exercise their rights in about 1,867 polling stations, of which 159 are vulnerable.