Polling for 152 seats in Bengal, 234 in TN begins
What's the story
Voting began at 7:00am for 152 assembly constituencies across 16 districts in West Bengal and for 234 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu. In Bengal, polling is being done in two phases: voting for the remaining seats will be held next Wednesday. Nearly 3.60 crore voters are eligible to vote in the first phase in Bengal, according to the Election Commission of India.
Campaign allegations
BJP's campaign in Bengal led by Modi, Shah
Top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, campaigned for the BJP in Bengal, which has 294 assembly seats. They accused the TMC of political violence, lawlessness, and corruption. At his last rally, Shah predicted a leadership change on May 4. He said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's time was up and assured voters they wouldn't be threatened due to central forces' deployment at polling stations across West Bengal.
Counter allegations
TMC hits back; key candidates in fray
The TMC hit back, with party leader Abhishek Banerjee accusing the BJP of not delivering on past promises. Chief Minister Banerjee expressed confidence in returning to power for a fourth term and vowed to remove the BJP from Delhi by 2026. Key candidates include BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, who will contest from Nandigram, where he defeated Banerjee in 2021 and Bhabanipur. Banerjee will once again come face-to-face with Adhikari in Bhabanipur, which will vote in the second phase.
Other seats
Other key candidates in Bengal polls
Another high-profile contest is in Baharampur, where five-time Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will take on the BJP's Subrata Maitra. In Kharagpur Sadar, Dilip Ghosh of BJP will face Pradip Sarkar from TMC. In Domkal, former IPS officer Humayun Kabir will contest against Mostafijur Rahaman of CPI(M). Kabir was expelled from TMC last December over controversies related to a Babri Masjid replica project.
Tamil Nadu
Stalin vows to be 'danger' to betrayers of Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, voting for all 234 constituencies is being done in a single phase. The state is witnessing a contest between the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance and AIADMK-led NDA. Chief Minister MK Stalin had positioned delimitation as a key issue during his campaign, criticizing the Centre's approach toward well-performing states like Tamil Nadu. "I will make Tamil Nadu not just the number one state in India, but a model state in South Asia," he said in his concluding campaign.
Key seats
Key seats in Tamil NaduÂ
Key seats to look out for is Kolathur, where Stalin is contesting. His son and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin is contesting from Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni. AIADMK chief Palaniswami, the NDA's chief ministerial candidate, is seeking a fourth term from Edappadi, while Vijay will contest Perambur and Trichy East. Tamilisai Soundararajan of BJP is contesting from Mylapore while Nainar Nagendran contests from Sattur for BJP after shifting constituencies. Former chief minister O Panneerselvam, who recently joined the DMK, is contesting from Bodinayakanur.