As West Bengal voted on Monday for the penultimate time in the eight-phase election, the Voter turnout climbed up to 55.12% at 1.30 pm from 37.72% at 11.30 am. Voting for the seventh phase started at 7 am, with polling taking place across 34 seats in parts of Paschim Bardhaman, Dakshin Dinajpur, Malda and Kolkata.

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

Over 86 lakh voters are deciding the political fate of 284 candidates during this phase. A total of 34 constituencies are up for grabs in this phase. The Election Commission of India has deployed 26 general observers, 9 expenditure observers and 6 police observers for the 7th phase of polls.

Also see: Trilateral fight in West Bengal election 2021

Among the most keenly watched contests is the battle for the prestigious Bhabanipur seat, which was vacated by incumbent Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as she decided to contest from Nandigram this time. The ruling party TMC has fielded veteran politician and state power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay from the constituency as the party hopes to bag the seat for a third consecutive time. Popular Bengali actor Rudranil Ghosh, who is contesting on a BJP ticket is against Chattopadhyay.

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

Election Commission of India has been under a lot of criticism to allow the phases of elections go beyond 4 and allegedly parleying favours with the central government. In this regard, cases have been filed by intelligentsia in Kolkata against the partisan approach of the poll body.

Observers on the ground stated that in the seventh phase, the split of minority votes may dent Congress’ electoral share in Murishidabad.

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

Vote counting for the West Bengal assembly election will be held along with those for Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry on May 02.