West Bengal Municipal Election 2022: Voting for the four municipal corporations of Bidhannagar, Asansol, Siliguri and Chandannagar in West Bengal are underway amid tight security and a moderate voter turnout which is expected to increase further during the day. The voting has been mostly peaceful as a voter turnout of around 13 per cent recorded till 9 am.
The voting for the four municipal corporations begins at 7 am. As many as 203 candidates are in the fray from 41 wards in Bidhannagar while 200 candidates are in the fray from 47 seats of the Siliguri civic body, 120 aspirants for 33 wards in Chandannagar and 430 candidates are contesting in 106 wards in Asansol. The counting of votes will be held on February 14.
The polls were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the Left front had bagged Siliguri in the 2015 polls, the three other municipal corporations were secured by the TMC.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made by the police in all the four municipal areas situated in different parts of the state for the peaceful conduct of the polls.
As per the West Bengal State Election Commission notification, polling will be held till 5 pm.
While the State Election Commission had announced to hold the polls in these four corporations on January 22, it had to postpone it to February 12 following an order by the Calcutta High Court. The West Bengal Election Commission will also conduct the civic polls for 108 other municipalities on February 27. Polls in these municipal corporations were also delayed due to the pandemic.
While the TMC is looking to sweep the polls, the BJP will aim to overcome infighting and make inroads into the municipal corporations after facing a defeat in the Kolkata Municipal Corporations. The Left Front will look to salvage its reputation after being wiped out from the West Bengal assembly in the 2021 assembly elections.