Stage set for mega contest in Bengal's first phase, voting on all 234 seats in Tamil Nadu today

TAmil Nadu and w Bengal ar go down to head up for gathering polls on Thursday, April 23, to decide the government for the next five years. While the BJP-AIADMK coalition is making all efforts for a comeback in Tamil Nadu, the saffron party is also eyeing to topple 15-year old Mamata-led TMC government in Bengal.Tamil Nadu goes to vote in a single phase for all 234 seats on Thursday. West Bengal will see polling in two phases, with the first phase scheduled today on 152 seats. The remaining 142 seats go to vote on April 29.DMK's coalition vs AIADMK-led alliance in Tamil NaduIn Tamil Nadu, 4,023 candidates are in fray for the state assembly polls and over 5.73 crore voters will decide their fate on Wednesday. Security has been beefed up in the state and the voting will be done amid a major crackdown by the election commission to prevent influencing voters by political parties.Among the major competitors in Tamil Nadu are DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance and AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance, while actor Vijay’s party TVK is going solo with the aim of causing a dent in the numbers.Tamil Nadu’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Archana Patnaik said at a press conference that the state is all set to conduct the voting. Detailing the number of voters, she said, “The total electoral strength stands at 5.73 crore, comprising 2.93 women, 2.83 crore men, and 7,728 third-gender persons”.She added that the voting will take place across 75,064 polling stations situated in 33,133 locations. The Commission will deploy 1,06,418 ballot units and 75,064 control units and VVPAT machines. “To prevent any technical delays, a reserve of 20 per cent for EVMs and 30 per cent for VVPATs has been maintained," she added.In Tamil Nadu, 14,59,039 first-time voters have been listed for today's polls."On the postal ballots front, 4,18,541 votes have been received so far, while 1,10,595 Election Duty Certificates have been issued to personnel who will cast their votes at the same booths where they are stationed. The state has also recorded 3,98,513 electors aged 85 and above, many of whom have already utilised the home voting facility," Patnaik said.High stake contest in West BengalOut of the total 294 state assembly constituencies in West Bengal, 152 will go to the polls in phase 1 today as the state is set to witness a heated competition between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the incumbent Trinamool Congress. The remaining 142 seats will vote on April 29.Over 3.22 crore voters are eligible to cast their votes today in West Bengal.The election campaigning in the state has witnessed war of words and heated exchanges between the rival political parties.During the last leg of campaigning, home minister Amit Shah pushed for BJP in West Bengal through multiple rallies and attacking the ruling TMC over infiltration, corruption, and governance. "Both Love Jihad and Land Jihad will come to an end... Farmers will get ₹9,000... Women and unemployed youth will get ₹3,000 per month," he said during campaigning.Shah also attacked Congress in West Bengal, reacting to Mallikarjun Kharge’s “terrorist” remark against PM Modi. "The man who devoted his life to ending terrorism is being called a terrorist... The public will settle the account," Shah said.The TMC also kept up with its offensive against the BJP, accusing the party of being "Bohiragoto" (outsider) and disrespectful towards Bengal. The TMC also allegedly filed a complaint on Wednesday accusing the BJP of running "special trains" from Surat to Bengal and alleging that they are offering free travel and food to influence voters.(With inputs from PTI, ANI)