Voting is taking place across 16 districts, with nearly 3.6 crore voters eligible to cast their votes.

Heavy security and tight monitoring

To ensure smooth and fair voting, authorities have deployed around 2.4 lakh personnel, including the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and state police. CAPF teams have been given responsibility for security up to 100 metres around polling booths to prevent any intimidation or disturbance.

A central control room in Kolkata is closely monitoring the situation, while webcasting has been arranged at all polling stations. Additionally, 152 general observers and 58 police observers are overseeing the process. Notably, no civic volunteers or contractual staff have been assigned election duties this time.

Voting began early in the morning with mock polls at over 44,000 booths, and long queues, especially of women voters, were seen at several locations.

Key BJP leaders in the race

Several prominent BJP leaders are contesting in this phase. Among them is Suvendu Adhikari, who is fighting from his stronghold, Nandigram. He is also set to take on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur during the second phase.

Union Minister Nisith Pramanik is contesting from Mathabhanga, while former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh is in the race from Kharagpur Sadar.

High-stakes battle

The elections come amid a heated political atmosphere, with both the ruling Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee and the BJP treating this phase as critical. The contest has gained extra attention due to the ongoing debate over voter list revisions.

In total, 1,478 candidates are in the race in this phase. Among constituencies, Cooch Behar Dakshin, Karandighi, and Itahar have the highest number of candidates at 15 each, while Chandrakona has the lowest with five.

With strong security, high voter turnout expectations, and key political faces in the race, Phase 1 is set to play a major role in shaping the outcome of the West Bengal elections.