Kolkata, April 29: Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, inspected polling centers in the Bhawanipur constituency on Wednesday. He also offered prayers at the Hanuman Temple as voting for the second phase of the state elections continued under tight security.
Adhikari is contesting against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhawanipur, a seat she has held for the past 15 years. He is also running from Nandigram, where he currently serves as a Member of Parliament.
Speaking to reporters at the Sundar Di Gari Temple, Adhikari urged citizens to vote in large numbers. Following this, the BJP candidate inspected various polling centers in the area.
To ensure security, CCTV cameras have been installed, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel have been deployed. Election officials have made stringent arrangements for the voting process.
Voting for 142 seats across six districts, including Kolkata, began at 7 AM on Wednesday. The process commenced amid some tension in certain areas during the first hour.
In the Bhawanipur constituency, where a fierce contest is underway between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Adhikari, police warned Banerjee’s brother, Kartik Banerjee, for gathering more supporters than permitted near a police station.
Earlier, a petitioner sought to cancel Adhikari’s nomination, alleging he made comments against the secular fabric of the country. However, the petitioner could not satisfactorily answer the court’s question regarding which constitutional provision warranted the cancellation. The Calcutta High Court dismissed the public interest litigation seeking to annul Adhikari’s candidacy from Bhawanipur on Monday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to social media on Wednesday, calling on voters in these 142 assembly constituencies to participate in large numbers.
Meanwhile, tensions have been reported in Singur, Hooghly district, where outgoing Trinamool Congress MLA Bancharam Manna protested outside a local police station, alleging excesses by security forces.
In the Shantipur assembly constituency of Nadia district, voting was delayed at one booth due to a malfunction in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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