- Sputnik International, 1920
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

India's West Bengal Witnesses 6th Phase of Assembly Elections Amid Violence, Rising COVID Cases

© Photo : All India Radio News/twitterGlimpses of polling from North Dinajpur district
Glimpses of polling from North Dinajpur district - Sputnik International, 1920, 22.04.2021
Subscribe
India’s West Bengal is among the five states in the country that have been holding assembly elections since 27 March. The elections being held in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry have been divided into eight phases and the counting of all states' results will be declared on 2 May.

India's West Bengal state on Thursday entered into the sixth phase of ongoing assembly elections. Residents of 43 constituencies across four districts --Uttar Dinajpur, Nadia, North 24 Parganas and Purba Bardhaman – are visiting the polling booths to cast their votes despite  over 63,000 active COVID cases in the state as well as reports of violent incidents.

Photos of masked voters lining up in queues following social distancing protocols in West Bengal have surfaced on social media.

​There is a sense of panic amongst voters in the North 24 Parganas district because this morning, the body of an unidentified man with stab wounds was recovered from a pond located in the city’s Habra region.

Indian Policemen cover their faces with their handkerchiefs (File) - Sputnik International, 1920, 17.04.2021
Several Injured as Workers of State-Ruling TMC, BJP Clash in India's West Bengal Amid Polls - Video

In the same city, a local leader of the state's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) reportedly suffered injuries following an alleged violent encounter with members of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has denied all such allegations.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to urge voters to exercise their rights in West Bengal’s poll-bound regions.

​West Bengal Assembly polls are being held for a total of 294 seats.

Chief Minister of West Bengal state and Trinamool Congress party leader Mamata Banerjee displays the victory symbol during the declaration of the names of the party's candidates for the upcoming legislative assembly elections in Kolkata, India, Friday, March 5, 2021.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 19.04.2021
In the Footsteps of Rahul Gandhi: India's Bengal State Chief Ditches Campaigning Amid COVID Surge
In recent days, Prime Minister Modi along with Home Minister Amit Shah and other prominent BJP leaders like Yogi Adityanath have toured West Bengal, campaigning for their party. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi recently cancelled all his roadshows and rallies in the state in the light of the rising cases. West Bengal's current state chief Mamata Banerjee also ditched campaign rallies amid COVID cases. 

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала