New Delhi: The stage is all set for a high-profile electoral battle for the assembly elections to be held in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu on Thursday (April 23).Voting is being held on all 234 seats in Tamil Nadu in a single phase, while in West Bengal, voting will be held on 152 seats in this phase.Voting for the second phase of West Bengal assembly elections will be held on April 29. Both electoral states, ruled by regional giants, have seen intense, high-decibel campaigns.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) brigade led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah has worked hard to challenge Mamata Banerjee And mk stalinWhile Rahul Gandhi and other leaders intensified the campaign.Taking an aggressive stance, Amit Shah said, “Congress will not even cross the double digit mark in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.”Despite political rhetoric being at its peak, the Election Commission has tightened its monitoring. Over Rs 1,000 crore in cash, liquor, drugs and other inducements have been seized in both the states, taking the total recovered since February 26 to Rs 1,072.13 crore.At the ground level, Tamil Nadu witnessed large-scale movement of electronic voting machines and voting materials amid heavy security cover. Meanwhile, West Bengal saw significant deployment of central forces, a move that was questioned by Mamata Banerjee, who asked, “Are they trying to intimidate?”He also flagged the use of CRPF armored vehicles during polling and alleged that the BJP-led Center was deploying state machinery to influence the election results as voters prepare to cast their votes in a tight contest.

west bengal

Key seats in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly battle include Suvendu Adhikari’s Nandigram, where he had earlier defeated sitting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.Mamata Banerjee has since shifted to Bhabanipur, while Suvendu Adhikari is challenging her politically, as he has also filed his nomination papers from Bhabanipur.

Other important constituencies in this phase include Darjeeling, Siliguri and Jalpaiguri. The election campaign for the phase ended on 21 April.

North Bengal main focus

North Bengal remains the focal point of the first phase, where voting will be held on 54 assembly seats in this round.Suvendu is contesting against Adhikari in Nandigram. Trinamool Congress Candidate Pabitra Kar, along with other contenders, is making it one of the most watched contests.

Mamta wants to retain the throne of Kolkata

The fight for West Bengal remains intense as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tries to retain power and consolidate voter support, while the BJP looks to maintain its strong lead in 2021.Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah have put forward the slogan of “Sonar Bangla”, targeting Mamata Banerjee’s “Bohiragata” statement.BJP has also intensified its attack on issues like law and order and infiltration, citing incidents like RG Kar, Murshidabad and Sandeshkhali.

Opposition and Left fight for relevance

Despite a prolonged electoral decline, the Congress factor may still play a role in shaping the outcome in Kolkata and beyond. The Left Front, once dominant under the leadership of Jyoti Basu, is struggling to regain relevance in the state.

Meanwhile, despite its efforts to maintain its stronghold in the political landscape of West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress is also facing fire from its Indian block allies, the Congress and the Left.

Tamil Nadu

Over 5.73 crore voters are set to decide the fate of 4,023 candidates in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections on April 23, which will be marked by tight security arrangements and a sweeping crackdown on inducements by the Election Commission of India.

DMK vs AIADMK:main battle

The contest is primarily between the DMK-led alliance and the AIADMK-led front, with Chief Minister MK Stalin seeking a second term, while Edappadi K Palaniswami is aiming to return to power after five years.Tamil Nadu’s political landscape has long been dominated by Dravidian parties and this election largely continues that bipolar trend.However, the DMK has appeared electorally strong in recent years, while the AIADMK has struggled to regain its footing after the death of former chief minister J Jayalalitha.The last assembly election that AIADMK managed to win was in 2016, under Amma’s shadow, just a few months before her death.The five-year chief ministerial tenure was then divided between Jayalalithaa, O Panneerselvam and later EPS, who now commands the party.The national parties, BJP and Congress, are close behind their Dravidian allies, with the BJP in electoral alliance with its old and traditional ally AIADMK, while the Congress is in alliance with the ruling DMK.

Vijay Factor adds a new twist!

However, this election comes with a new change. Tamil superstar Vijay has entered the political arena with his party Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam and has been drawing huge crowds in rallies and road shows.Their popularity has translated into strong grassroots mobilization, although one such gathering in Karur tragically led to a stampede.

Can crowd support convert into votes?

While Vijay’s entry has added a new dimension to the contest, his party is contesting the elections independently outside the DMK and AIADMK alliance. Unlike national parties like BJP and Congress, TVK is not seen as an “outsider” in the political structure of Tamil Nadu.However, the key question is whether this visibility can translate into mass support votes, a challenge that has historically tested celebrity-led political ventures in the state.