The stage is set for the first phase of polling in West Bengal today, April 23. The first phase covers 152 of the state's 294 seats, including all 54 in north Bengal and several constituencies across Murshidabad, Nadia, Birbhum and Hooghly.

The districts going to polls are Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Malda, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, East Midnapore, West Midnapore and West Burdwan.

Don't Miss: West Bengal elections 2026: What prediction markets reveal about BJP vs TMC close contest

More than 3.60 crore voters, nearly half of them women, are eligible to cast their ballots. Security deployment is extensive, with 2,450 companies of central forces and over 8,000 polling stations marked as highly sensitive.

But the numbers only partly explain why this phase matters. Politically, it is here - in north Bengal - that the election's early direction could be set.

North Bengal: BJP's gateway, TMC's test

For the BJP, the region has been its principal gateway into Bengal politics. It was north Bengal that powered the party's breakthrough in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and helped it emerge as the Trinamool Congress's main challenger in 2021. In that election, across the 152 seats voting now, the BJP won 59 to the TMC's 93. Retaining that ground is critical if the party is to remain competitive statewide, particularly against Mamata Banerjee’s entrenched strength in the south.

For the ruling TMC, the task is the reverse: prevent a BJP surge in the north, and the broader contest could tilt before it moves south.

Deleted names in Bengal

More than 91 lakh names have been deleted under the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, reducing the electorate by nearly 12%. The scale of deletions is significant: over 7.48 lakh in Murshidabad, 4.85 lakh in Nadia, 4.59 lakh in Malda, 3.63 lakh in Uttar Dinajpur and more than 2.42 lakh in Cooch Behar.

The BJP has sought to turn the exercise into a referendum on infiltration and citizenship. The TMC, in contrast, has framed it as an attempt to disenfranchise genuine voters - particularly minorities, migrant workers and the poor.

Nowhere is the tension sharper than in Malda and Murshidabad. In Malda's Mothabari, protests broke out after names were allegedly struck off, underlining the scale of local anger.

West Bengal: A diverse and fragmented battleground

The political geography of the first phase remains complex. It stretches from the tea gardens of Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar to the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, from the Rajbanshi belt of Cooch Behar to the border districts of Malda and Uttar Dinajpur.

In the hills, the unresolved Gorkha question has resurfaced, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah promising a solution "acceptable to the Gorkhas within six months" if the BJP comes to power. In the tea garden belt, wages and economic distress dominated. In Cooch Behar, Rajbanshi identity continued to shape voting patterns. Along the border, the debate returns to infiltration and citizenship.

At the same time, north Bengal no longer appeared as firmly aligned as it once did. The BJP faced dissidence, resentment over ticket distribution and signs of anti-incumbency in parts of the region. The TMC believes it has rebuilt its organisation and regained support among tea garden workers, Rajbanshis and sections of hill voters.

Bengal Phase-1: Key contests to watch

The phase-1 polling also features several closely watched contests.

In Nandigram, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari is seeking to retain the seat that transformed him into the BJP’s most prominent face in Bengal after his 2021 victory over Mamata Banerjee. He now faces Prabitra Kar - once his trusted aide - in a contest that carries both political and personal overtones.

In Baharampur, Congress veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury returns to assembly politics after more than three decades, taking on BJP MLA Subrata Maitra in a battle that reflects the Congress's struggle for relevance in Murshidabad.

In north Bengal, Mathabhanga and Dinhata will also be closely watched. Former Union minister Nisith Pramanik is seeking to retain the BJP's hold over the Rajbanshi belt after shifting constituencies, while state minister Udayan Guha is fighting to hold Dinhata for the TMC.

(With inputs from PTI)