Voting begins for 8 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal

Polling commenced at 7 am on Saturday for eight Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, marked by stringent security arrangements.

 

Voters in Tamluk, Kanthi, Ghatal, Jhargram, Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura, and Bishnupur constituencies are set to exercise their franchise until 6 pm, an official reported.

 

A substantial electorate of 1.45 crore voters will cast their votes across approximately 15,600 polling stations.

 

The phase sees 79 candidates vying for the eight seats, with Bankura and Jhargram featuring the highest number of contenders at 13 each.

 

Purulia follows with 12 candidates, while Medinipur and Tamluk have nine each. Bishnupur and Ghatal each see seven candidates in the fray.

 

Prominent among the candidates are Bengali superstar Dev, seeking a third term as TMC MP from Ghatal, and former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay, contesting from Tamluk on a BJP ticket.

 

Other notable candidates include Union Minister Subhas Sarkar in Bankura and fashion designer-turned-politician Agnimitra Paul, a BJP MLA, who is up against TMC’s MLA and actor June Malia in Medinipur.

 

To ensure a smooth polling process, 919 companies of central forces have been deployed alongside over 29,000 state police personnel.