West Bengal Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 2 Live Updates: Polling In Darjeeling, Balurghat & Raiganj Seats Today – News18

As the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections is scheduled to be conducted across the country on Friday, polling will shortly begin in three constituencies of North Bengal, including the strategically important Darjeeling. The voting process commences at 7 am and is expected to continue till 6 pm.

The other two constituencies are Balurghat and Raiganj. The second phase of polling will witness BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar, who is seeking re-election from the Balurghat seat, fighting against veteran TMC leader and Minister Biplab Mitra.

In the first phase of the polls, another three key constituencies from Bengal had gone for polling, which included Alipurduar, Coochbehar and Jalpaiguri.

While incidents of violence marred the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls in Bengal, a voter turnout of 77% was noted till 5 pm. Several injuries were also reported as TMC and BJP workers clashed mostly in the violence-prone Cooch Behar seat.

DARJEELING CONSTITUENCY

The Darjeeling hills are gearing up for another election amidst the rising focus on the long-pending demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland. Popularly known as the queen of the hills, Darjeeling is known for its tea, timber and tourism industries.

The constituency is currently up for a four-cornered contest with sitting BJP MP Raju Bista contesting against party MLA from Kurseong, Bishnu Prasad Sharma, who is now running as an independent after his demand to field a “Bhumiputra” was not accepted by the BJP leadership. Bista, who is has the support of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and the Bimal Gurung faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), aims for a second term.

Meanwhile, the TMC has nominated Gopal Lama, supported by Anit Thapa’s Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), which controls the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

RAIGANJ CONSTITUENCY

In Raiganj, the Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded Kartick Paul against Trinamool Congress’ Krishna Kalyani, who was earlier a BJP MLA and had switched over to the TMC.

The constituency was once known as a Congress stronghold and backyard of the late former union minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi.

In 2021 Assembly polls, the Trinamool scored five out of seven seats, including Islampur, Goalpokhar, Chakulia, Karandighi and Hemtabad (SC). The BJP won two – Kaliaganj (SC) and Raiganj.

BALURGHAT CONSTITUENCY

The Balurgat Lok Sabha seat, located in Bengal’s Dakshin Dinajpur district will witness a electoral contest between BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar, who seeks re-election and TMC candidate Biplab Mitra, who is currently a member of the TMC ministry.

Majumdar made his electoral debut in 2019 and had secured 5,39,317 votes, establishing a lead of 33,293 votes and wresting the seat from TMC’s Arpita Ghosh. Once a stronghold of Left Front constituent RSP, which won the seat consecutively from 1984 to 2009, Balurghat is also pitted for a three-cornered contest with Left-Congress alliance candidate Joydep Siddhanta in the fray.

In 2021 assembly polls, out of the seven assembly segments in the Balurghat constituency, four were won by the TMC and three by the BJP.

West Bengal Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 2: Polling Updates

• 272 companies of CAPFs (Central Armed Police Forces) have been instructed to take quick action in case of any disturbance on polling day, an election official said.
• The poll body will deploy 73 companies of central forces at Balurghat, 60 in Raiganj, 51 each in Darjeeling and Islampur, 21 in Siliguri, and 16 in Kalimpong. Each company comprises around 100 personnel.
• Along with the central forces, around 12,983 state police personnel will be deployed.
• The Election Commission of India stated that 98% of the polling stations in the three Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal are “critical”. Central forces will be deployed at all polling stations in these seats.
• The key issues in the Darjeeling seat are separate statehood for Gorkhaland, water shortage, landslides and soil erosion and tea workers’ issues.
• The second phase of the elections will witness a total of 51,17,955 voters from the three constituencies of Bengal. Around 26,07,389 men, 25,10,356 women and 210 third-gender are eligible to exercise their franchise in 5,298 polling stations.

(with agency inputs)

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