New Delhi: A day ahead of the first phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections, the spotlight is on the Cooch Behar constituency, gearing up for polls, alongside two other seats in north Bengal.
In the Cooch Behar (SC) seat, Union Minister of State for Home, Nisith Pramanik, has been pitted against TMC's Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia.
Joining Cooch Behar in the first-phase polling are Jalpaiguri (SC) and Alipurduars (ST).
Cooch Behar came to spotlight after four people were killed in firing allegedly by central forces at Sitalkuchi during 2021 Assembly elections. The event has been brought to the forefront by TMC during the poll campaign.
Notably, both the BJP and the TMC are leaving no stone unturned to sway voters in these northern Bengal seats. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi graced public gatherings in Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and party leader Abhishek Banerjee conducted numerous rallies and roadshows in the region.
In the 2019 general elections, all three constituencies were clinched by the BJP. However, in the 2021 Assembly polls, while Cooch Behar and Alipurduar remained BJP strongholds, TMC wrested the Jalpaiguri seat.
During the poll campaigns, PM Modi highlighted alleged corruption within the ruling party and issues of law and order, while the TMC stressed the “denial” of Central funds, the Sitalkuchi incident, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The BJP has renominated Jayanta Roy in Jalpaiguri and Pramanik in Cooch Behar but replaced John Barla with the Madarihat MLA, Manoj Tigga.
During the campaign period, Cooch Behar, which shares borders with Bangladesh to its west, reported sporadic incidents of violence.
In the light of the 2021 incident where four people lost their lives in Sitalkuchi allegedly due to firing by CISF personnel, the Election Commission has decided to deploy Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), or Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel for the polls on Friday, PTI reported.
In Cooch Behar, around 112 companies of central forces and 4,500 state police are being deployed, nearly double the forces deployed in the other two districts.
In Alipurduar, the poll panel plans to deploy 2,454 state police personnel alongside 63 companies of central forces, while in Jalpaiguri, there will be 75 companies of central forces and 3,077 state police, according to the official.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission advised West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose to call off his proposed tour of Cooch Behar on Thursday, citing violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
Under the Model Code of Conduct, no local event can be organised for the governor, the poll panel said. The Election Commission also noted that the district administration and police force will be occupied in election management on April 18 and 19.