People of West Bengal are going to completely end 15 years of TMC misrule: Shehzad Poonawalla

He pointed out the closure of over 6,000 factories and struggles in the tea industry, accusing the TMC of playing the "victim card" and threatening institutions instead of addressing these issues. Poonawalla predicted the people of West Bengal would vote for change, ending the TMC's rule.

Speaking to reporters, Poonawalla said, "For the past fifteen years, West Bengal has been ruled by misgovernance, corruption, and communist government. The sad truth is that, instead of providing a report card, the Trinamool Congress can only play the victim card and the hate card of its fifteen-year rule. They should explain why more than six thousand factories have closed in West Bengal. Why are the tea plantations in West Bengal facing so many problems? But instead of answering these questions, once again, threatening the Election Commission, constitutional posts, and the CRPF has become the standard operating procedure of the Trinamool Congress. Now the people of West Bengal are going to completely end this fifteen years of misrule."

Meanwhile, ahead of the West Bengal Assembly polls, the Election Commision has set up car-mounted live IP cameras on vehicles used by Static Surveillance Teams (SST) and Flying Squad Teams (FST) to receive real-time video feeds of polling, which will be conducted in the state in two phases on 23 April and 29 April in the state.

The counting of votes will take place on May 4. In West Bengal, the Legislative Assembly consists of 294 seats, with the primary contest expected to be between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued directions for the strict implementation of the Model Code of Conduct for the general elections and bye-elections in 6 States.

West Bengal has a total of 6,45,61,152 electors as per the Election Commission of India, including 6,44,52,609 general electors and 1,08,543 service voters. The state has 5,23,229 young electors aged 18-19 years. The electoral rolls also list 4,16,089 electors marked as Persons with Disabilities (PwD), 1,152 electors identified as third gender, and 3,78,979 senior citizens aged 85 and above.

The last assembly election in the state was held in eight phases in 2021 amid an intense contest between the ruling TMC led by Mamata Banerjee and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Congress and Left Front drew a blank in the last state polls. (ANI)