In the West Bengal election 2021, the stage is all set for the sixth phase of polling on April 22 (Thursday). The sixth phase will be held in 43 Assembly constituencies in four districts of Uttar Dinajpur, Nadia, North 24 Parganas and Purba Bardhaman.

Also See: Would West Bengal election really be a three-way fight after the defections?

Heavy security arrangements have been out in place across 10,897 polling booths. In the sixth phase of voting 306 candidates are trying their luck.

Polling in West Bengal is taking place in eight phases. Out of these, five phases have concluded. The next phase, the sixth phase, will take place tomorrow (April 22). The election campaign and canvassing have continued there in full swing. Vote counting in all states will take place on May 02. In poll-bound West Bengal, Trinamool Congress led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is fighting to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s surge at bay.

Also See: What are the problem areas of TMC and the chances of BJP in this election season in West Bengal

Over one crore voters in the state will decide the political fate of 306 candidates on Thursday when 43 assembly constituencies go to polls in the sixth phase, amid a raging second wave of Covid19. An official from Election Commission of India said that security measures have been heightened in view of the violence in the previous phases, particularly the death of five people in Cooch Behar in the fourth phase of polling on April 10.

Also See: West Bengal 2021: Battleground for BJP and TMC

The official added that the poll panel has decided to deploy at least 1,071 companies of central forces in the sixth phase to ensure free and fair voting.

The Matua strongholds of Bongaon and Krishnanagar, near the India-Bangladesh border, are among the 43 constituencies across four districts in the fray, in the sixth phase of the West Bengal elections.

Also see: Trilateral fight in West Bengal election 2021

With citizenship for refugees having emerged as a key poll plank for the BJP in the run-up to the elections, the party will be closely observing the verdict in these segments to run a test case for weighing pros and cons for the newly enacted Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Trinamool Congress (TMC), on the other hand, has been claiming that the BJP made “false promises” to the members of the politically significant Matua community on citizenship and that these people already are Indian citizens.

In view of a rising number of cases of Covid19, the Election Commission of India has reduced the election campaign period 72 hours before the voting date.

Also See: New mutants of Coronavirus

The polling will be held from 7 am to 6.30 pm. The Covid-19 patients can cast their vote in the last one hour. In order to enhance the transparency of the election process, the poll panel will be using Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) along with Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) at every polling station.