Bengal bypolls: Nandigram, Rejinagar voting on Tuesday under heavy security cover

Kolkata: The bypolls to the Nandigram Assembly Constituency in East Midnapore district and the Rejinagar Assembly seat in Murshidabad district in West Bengal will be held on Tuesday under an unprecedented security cover.

A total of 71 companies will be deployed for the bypolls to the two Assembly constituencies -- 37 in Nandigram and the remaining 34 in Rejinagar.

In addition,15119 state police personnel will be deployed -- 819 in Rejinagara and the remaining 700 in Nandigram.

It is learnt that almost 24 per cent of the total booths in each of the two constituencies are sensitive booths -- 323 in Nandigram, and 315 in Rejinagar.

“There will be Central forces personnel in all the polling booths as well as in the quick response team formations. There will also be 100 per cent web-casting in all the polling booths in these two constituencies,” said an insider from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer.

The bypolls will be held on Tuesday, and the results will be announced on October 9.

Nandigram is all set to witness a four-cornered contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Ritabrata Banerjee-led Democratic Trinamool Congress and the CPI.

The BJP candidate from Nandigram is Hasirani Ratth, the mother of the Late Chandranath Rath, the former personal assistant of the West Bengal Chief Minister, Suvednu Adhikari, who was assassinated at Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district on May 6.

The former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Mamata All Indian Trinamool Congress is not in the election fray at Nandigram this time, as its candidate Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdrew her nomination at the last moment.

In the Assembly polls earlier this year, Suvendu Adhikari was elected simultaneously from Nandigram and Bhabanipur in South Kolkata. However, he decided to retain Bhabanipur, thus necessitating bypolls for Nandigram.

Rejinagar is all set to witness a six-cornered contest this time involving BJP, Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), Congress, Mamata All India Trinamool Congress, Democratic Trinamool Congress, CPI(M) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP).

In the Assembly polls, the AJUP candidate Humayun Kabir won both the Naoda and Rejinagar Assembly seats in Murshidabad district. Later, he chose to retain Naoda, thus necessitating a bypoll for Rejinagar.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

IANS

[email protected]