Overview
- The second and final phase, which votes Wednesday, covers 142 seats across Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas, and Purba Bardhaman with about 3.21 crore eligible voters.
- The Election Commission has posted 2,321 companies of central forces and assigned 142 general, 95 police, and 100 expenditure observers, with webcasting at all 41,001 booths and drones to monitor hotspots.
- A Special Intensive Revision of rolls cut lakhs of names — 12.6 lakh in North 24 Parganas, 10.91 lakh in South 24 Parganas, and nearly 6.97 lakh in Kolkata — with deletions topping prior victory margins in at least 25 seats.
- Campaigning closed Monday with an open letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a Kolkata roadshow by Mamata Banerjee, who now faces Suvendu Adhikari in a high-profile Bhabanipur contest.
- Since March 15, EC teams report seizures worth Rs 510.10 crore in cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals and other freebies, and ballots cast Wednesday will be counted May 4.