Campaign ends for first phase of polling in West Bengal
April 16th, 2011 - 9:09 pm ICT by IANS
Kolkata, April 16 (IANS) Campaign drums fell silent Saturday in 54 West Bengal assembly constituencies spread across the state’s six northern districts where polling will be held in the first phase of election Monday.
The colourful campaign stretching from the picturesque Darjeeling hills in the extreme north to Malda came to an end at 5 p.m.
The campaign had been by and large peaceful.
Leading political luminaries like Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, party general secretary Rahul Gandhi, union Finance Minister Pranab Mukheree, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)stalwarts L.K. Advani, Nitin Gadkari and Arun Jaitley campaigned for their party candidates.
Left Front chairman and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) state secretary Biman Bose, CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechuri and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee also wooed voters in the six districts - Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Malda.
The CPI-M is contesting in 32 seats, the CPI 2, Forward Bloc 10, Revolutionary Communist Party (RSP) 9, Socialist Party 1, the Trinamool Congress 26, the Congress 27, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) one, and the BJP 49.
Altogether 364 candidates are in the fray while the total number of eligible voters is 9,748,839.
West Bengal goes to poll in six phases to elect a 294-member assembly April 18-May 10. The counting of votes will take place May 13.
- Polling begins in Bengal, proceeds peacefully (Lead) - Apr 18, 2011
- Poll process begins in Bengal's six districts Thursday - Mar 23, 2011
- Polling peaceful in West Bengal first phase (Intro Roundup) - Apr 18, 2011
- Poll campaigning peaks in north Bengal districts - Apr 13, 2011
- 70 percent turnout in peaceful Bengal polls (Roundup) - Apr 18, 2011
- Enthusiastic and peaceful polling in West Bengal (Second Lead) - Apr 18, 2011
- Brisk polling in West Bengal, nearly 50 percent turnout till 1 p.m. - Apr 18, 2011
- Polling brisk and peaceful in West Bengal (Fourth Lead) - Apr 18, 2011
- Polling peaceful in West Bengal, boycott in eight booths (Third Lead) - Apr 18, 2011
- W. Bengal polls: 14 per cent vote cast in first two hours - Apr 18, 2011
- Polling underway for first phase of W. Bengal elections - Apr 18, 2011
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- Polling begins for first phase of West Bengal elections - Apr 18, 2011
- Re-poll ordered in two Bengal polling stations - Apr 19, 2011
- Record 84.11 percent turnout in Bengal polls - Apr 19, 2011
Tags: arun jaitley, assembly constituencies, bharatiya janata party, communist party of india, communist party of india marxist, cooch behar, darjeeling hills, dinajpur, forward bloc, l k advani, nationalist congress party, number of eligible voters, politburo member, rahul gandhi, revolutionary communist party, socialist party, sonia gandhi, trinamool congress chief, union finance minister, west bengal