The much-awaited assembly elections in West Bengal will be held over eight rounds from March 27-April 29 for 294 seats. In the politically charged state, the ruling Trinamool Congress party (TMC) and PM Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are locked in a bitter contest this time. The TMC headed by two-time Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is striving hard to score a hat-trick. The BJP is also leaving no stone unturned to make sure lotus blooms in the state. The third front has the CPI-M and Congress entering into a seat-sharing arrangement, and this combine is also trying to align with the ISF.
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Let's try to understand the West Bengal Elections in detail:
When will West Bengal assembly Election 2021 be held?
The West Bengal Assembly election will start on March 27, Saturday, and will end on April 29.
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West Bengal election 2021 voting timings
In the eight-phase Assembly polls, the voting is likely to start at 8 AM and end at 6 PM.
West Bengal Election results 2021: Date and counting of votes timings
According to the Election Commission website, the result of the West Bengal election will be declared on May 2, Sunday.
How many Assembly seats are there in West Bengal?
There are a total of 294 assembly seats that will be going to polls, of which 68 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 16 for the Scheduled Tribes.
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How many districts are there in West Bengal?
The state has a total of 23 districts.
West Bengal election phase 1 schedule
In phase 1 of the West Bengal election, five districts will be covered. The polling for phase 1 will begin on March 27. Districts that will be going to polls in phase 1 are -- Paschim Midnapore Part-I, Purba Midnapore Part-I, Bankura, Jhargram, and Purulia.
PHASE 1 of West Bengal assembly election:
West Bengal election phase 2 schedule
The voting for the phase 2 Bengal election will begin on April 1, Thursday. In this phase, a total of four districts will cast votes -- South 24 Parganas Part-1, Bankura Part-2, Paschim Midnapore Part-2, and East Midnapore.
PHASE 2 of West Bengal assembly election:
West Bengal election phase 3 schedule
The voting for the phase 3 Bengal election will begin on April 6, Tuesday. In this phase, voting will take place at Howrah, Hooghly, and South24 Paraganas.
PHASE 3 of West Bengal assembly election:
West Bengal election phase 4 schedule
The voting for the phase 4 West Bengal election will be on April 10, Saturday. Howrah (Part-2), South 24 Pargana (Part-3), Hugli (Part-2), Alipurduar (all five constituencies), Cooch Behar (all nine constituencies) will be going to polls in this phase.
PHASE 4 of West Bengal assembly election:
West Bengal election phase 5 schedule
People will cast their vote on April 17, Wednesday. Phase 5 of the West Bengal election will cover districts like Nadia (Part 1), Bardhaman (Part 1), Darjeeling, and Jalpaiguri.
PHASE 5 of West Bengal assembly election:
West Bengal election phase 6 schedule
West Bengals' phase 6 election is scheduled for April 22, Thursday. The districts that will be covered in phase 6 are -- North Pargana (Part-II), Purbo Bardhaman (Part-2), Nadia (Part-3), Uttar Dinajpur.
PHASE 6 of West Bengal assembly election:
West Bengal election phase 7 schedule
The phase 6 of the Bengal elections will be held on April 26. Districts that will be voting in this phase includes: Dakshin Dinajpur, Kolkata South, Malda (Part-1), Murshidabad (Part-1), and Paschim Bardhman.
PHASE 7 of West Bengal assembly election:
West Bengal election phase 8 schedule
Voting for the last and final phase of the West Bengal election 2021, that is phase 8, will take place on April 29, Thursday. In phase 8, Malda (Part-II), Birhum, Murshidabad, and Kolkata North will go to polls.
PHASE 8 of West Bengal assembly election:
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How many assembly are there in West Bengal?
The state has a total of 294 assembly seats.
How many districts are there in West Bengal?
The state has 23 districts, which include the newly formed Kalimpong district (formed on 14 February 2017), Jhargram district (formed on 4 April 2017), and the splitting of the former Bardhaman district into Purba Bardhaman district and Paschim Bardhaman districts in 2017.
Which parties are popular in West Bengal?
The politics in West Bengal has largely been dominated by Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC or simply TMC) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). For nearly 40 years, since 1980, the state remained isolated from national politics. The local narrative has always been ruled by Leftist ideologies. In 2011, Mamta Banerjee broke this trend and has ruled the state for 10 consecutive years. Now, the TMC is eyeing to withhold its power for the third straight term in the state. The CPI(M), which is contesting with Congress has gradually started fading in the state since 2011.
It is for the first-time when PM Modi-led Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has hogged the limelight in the state as several TMCs leaders have joined the saffron party. The BJP is aiming to make a debut as the ruling party in Bengal. If the BJP comes to power, then this 2021 assembly election will be remembered for bringing a paradigm shift in the political narrative of West Bengal.
How many MP seats are there in West Bengal?
West Bengal has a total of 42 Lok Sabha seats. In the general election 2019, TMC witnessed a big shock after the party reduced to 22 seats from its previous 34. While the BJP won 18 seats in the left bastion.
What is NOTA?
NOTA stands for "None of the Above", option at the ballot. The NOTA option gives freedom to a voter not selecting any candidate mentioned on the list. NOTA came into force in India in 2013. The Supreme Court envisaged NOTA as a way of cleansing the political system, saying, "Negative voting will lead to a systemic change in polls and political parties will be forced to project clean candidates.