The eighth and final phase of voting will take place in Bengal today, amid the growing threat of Covid, which is rapidly spreading throughout the state. The election will take place on 35 seats spread across Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum, and Kolkata.
In this phase, elections will be held in six seats in Malda, 11 in Murshidabad and Birbhum, and seven in Kolkata. There will be 11,860 polling stations. Voters will choose from a field of 283 candidates, 35 of whom are women.
In this phase, two ministers, Shashi Panji and Sadhan Pande, are running for re-election. The entire district of Birbhum, which has a history of poll-related violence, is under scrutiny.
Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury, a BJP candidate from Englishbazar who tested positive for Covid, has been admitted to a Kolkata hospital. In 2019, the BJP made significant gains in the Lok Sabha seats located in these areas. From one seat in 2016, the BJP had taken control of 11 Assembly seats, increasing its vote share from 11.5 percent to 31 percent.
In 2016, the ruling Trinamool Congress won 17 seats, and in 2019, it won 19 seats. Its vote share increased as well.
On May 2, the votes will be counted.
