The stage is set for a massive contest in the first phase in Bengal, where all 234 Tamil Nadu seats will be voted on

Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are set to go to assembly elections on Thursday, April 23 to decide the government for the next five years. While the BJP-AIADMK coalition is making all efforts to make a comeback in Tamil Nadu, the saffron party is also looking to oust the 15-year-old Mamata-led TMC government in Bengal.

DMK alliance vs AIADMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu

• In Tamil Nadu, 4,023 candidates are vying for the state Assembly elections, and more than 5.73 crore voters will decide their fate on Wednesday. Security measures have been strengthened in the state, and voting will be held amid a major crackdown by the Election Commission to prevent political parties from influencing voters.
• The main rivals in Tamil Nadu include the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance and the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance, while actor Vijay’s party TVK is going solo with an aim to bring about a turnaround in the numbers.
• Archana Patnaik, Tamil Nadu’s chief electoral officer, said in a press conference that the state was ready to hold the vote. Elaborating on the number of voters, she said: “The total electoral strength is 5.73 lakh crore, comprising 2.93 women, 2.83 crore men and 7,728 people of the third gender.”
• She added that voting will take place through 75,064 polling stations distributed over 33,133 locations. The Commission will deploy 1,06,418 polling units, 75,064 control units and VVPAT machines. “To prevent any technical delay, a reserve of 20 per cent has been kept for electronic voting machines and 30 per cent for VVPAT machines,” she added.
• In Tamil Nadu, 14,59,039 first-time voters are listed in the polls tomorrow.
• “On the postal poll front, 4,18,541 votes have been received so far, while 1,10,595 election duty certificates have been issued to employees who will cast their votes at the same booths where they are stationed. The state has also registered 3,98,513 voters aged 85 years and above, many of whom have already used the voting-at-home facility,” Patnaik said.

High stakes competition in West Bengal

• Of the total 294 state Assembly constituencies in West Bengal, 152 will go to the polls in the first phase tomorrow, as the state is set to witness a heated contest between the BJP and the incumbent Trinamool Congress. The remaining 142 seats will be voted on April 29.
• Over 3.22 crore voters are eligible to cast their votes tomorrow in West Bengal.
• The election campaign in the state witnessed a war of words and heated clashes between competing political parties.
• During the final phase of the election campaign, Home Minister Amit Shah pushed for the BJP in West Bengal through multiple rallies and attacking the ruling TMC over infiltration, corruption and governance. “Both the jihad of love and the jihad of land will end… the farmers will end $9000…they will get unemployed women and youth $“3,000 per month,” he said during the election campaign.
• Shah also attacked the Congress in West Bengal, in response to Mallikarjun Kharge’s “terrorist” remarks against Prime Minister Modi. “The man who dedicated his life to ending terrorism is being called a terrorist,” Shah said. “The public will settle the score.”
• The TMC also continued its attack against the BJP, accusing the party of being a “bohirajutu” (outsider) and disrespecting Bengal. The TMC also allegedly filed a complaint on Wednesday accusing the BJP of running “special trains” from Surat to Bengal and alleged that they are offering free travel and food to influence voters.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)