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Ahead of polling in Darjeeling in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections, the Indo-Nepal border, an open border between the two countries, will remain sealed from April 23 at 6 pm to April 26, given security concerns in the sensitive region amid the elections.
"...for smooth conduct of Election, all the International border (land) routes (Entry and Exit) need to be sealed and movement of both people and vehicle be restricted from 6.00 PM on P-3 day on 23 April 2024 till completion of poll," an order from the District Magistrate of Darjeeling read. Visuals from Pashupatinagar showed less crowds and traffic at the bordering village, impacting the business activity in the region. "No one is allowed to go to the other side. If anyone wants to come, their voter card is checked. We are completely dependent on business. So we are suffering losses in these three days," a shopkeeper said adding that she will be casting her vote on polling day. Darjeeling, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bastion, will be voting on Friday in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections. Darjeeling also comprises a narrow strip of land in Bengal that connects the Northeast with the rest of the country, also called the 'Chicken's Neck'. While the BJP has fielded sitting MP Raju Bista from the constituency, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has chosen Gopal Lama as its candidate. Polling in the 42 parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal is being held across all seven phases. Coochbehar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri voted in the opening phase of the election. The counting of votes has been scheduled for June 4. Though the TMC is part of the INDIA bloc, it does not have a seat-sharing arrangement with the other parties in the alliance, like Congress and the Left parties in the state. In the 2019 elections, the BJP marked a strong improvement, taking its tally from 2 in 2014 to 18 against the TMC's 22. The Congress's tally dropped to just two seats, while the Left scored a blank. The BJP, on the other hand, is aiming to make further inroads in the state after rising to the rank of main Opposition party in the state in the Assembly elections in 2021. (ANI)
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