West Bengal Polls Phase 6: Enclave Dwellers to Vote for First Time

West Bengal enters the sixth and last phase of Assembly elections.

Dwellers of the erstwhile enclaves in Cooch Behar will vote for the first time on Thursday, marking another giant leap in their absorption into India after nearly seven decades of stateless existence, as the staggered West Bengal assembly polls come to an end after the sixth and final phase of balloting involving 25 constituencies.

Nine of the constituencies are in Cooch Behar district, and 16 in East Midnapore.

Over 58 lakh (58,04,019) voters across 6,774 polling stations, including 9 auxiliary booths, are eligible to decide the fate of 170 candidates –18 of them female in this phase.

The Election Commission will use 7,790 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and 621 Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPATs).