WEST BENGAL - As voting progresses in the ongoing assembly elections, with 55.57% turnout recorded by 1 p.m., political parties are lodging complaints with the Election Commission of India (ECI). The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has submitted a formal grievance concerning the alleged unauthorized sorting of postal ballots. This comes in the wake of re-polling ordered at 15 booths across two Assembly constituencies in the South 24 Parganas district, following earlier reports of electoral malpractices.
Voting commenced at 7 a.m. and is scheduled to conclude at 6 p.m. Officials have indicated that security deployments will be maintained at their current scale, albeit with an increased emphasis on vigilance. The contested seats in the re-polling are Magrahat Paschim and Diamond Harbour, which had previously gone to polls during the second phase of state elections on April 29.
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CANDIDATE PROFILES EMERGE
Amidst the electoral process, details from candidate affidavits are coming to light, painting varied financial and legal pictures.
In the Raiganj constituency of Uttar Dinajpur:
Mohit Sengupta, an Indian National Congress (INC) candidate, declares an annual income of ₹4.8 lakh, assets totaling ₹1.3 crore, and liabilities of zero. His affidavit also notes two pending criminal cases, six of which are categorized as serious. Sengupta is a graduate with business as his declared profession.
Koushik Chowdhury of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reports an annual income of ₹6.9 lakh, assets of ₹31,847, and no declared liabilities. His profession is listed as private job and tuition, and his affidavit indicates no pending criminal cases.
Elsewhere in West Bengal, Om Prakash Ram, an Independent candidate for the Kolkata Port constituency in Kolkata South, has declared an annual income of ₹5.4 lakh, assets of ₹17,200, and no liabilities. His affidavit shows no pending criminal cases. Ram, also a graduate, lists business as his profession.
In Tamil Nadu, for the Ulundurpettai constituency in Kallakurichi, Sudhakar M of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) presents a different financial profile. His declared annual income stands at ₹30.1 lakh, with total assets valued at ₹5.5 crore and liabilities amounting to ₹2.1 crore. Sudhakar M, whose profession is listed as operating a construction company, declares no pending criminal cases.
A GLANCE AT KERALA
The Chittur constituency in Kerala's Palakkad district has seen its share of electoral contests. While the latest polling figures for Chittur were not detailed in the provided data, past trends indicate high voter participation. In 2021, Chittur recorded 79% turnout, with the INC candidate K. Sumesh Achuthan losing by a margin of 22%. The 2016 election saw 83% voting, where K Krishnankutty of the JD(S) secured victory against K Achuthan of the INC by a margin of 5%.
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