Kolkata: Voting was underway on Sunday morning for elections to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of northern West Bengal, officials said. Voting began at 7 am. He told that the voting for GTA will end at 4 pm, while in Siliguri the voting will go on till 5 pm.
The elections to the GTA, the semi-autonomous council that governs the Darjeeling Hills, are being held after a decade amid a sea of change in the political dynamics of the region.
The GTA has 45 seats, and is spread over Kalimpong district, and Darjeeling, Mirik and Kurseong sub-divisions of Darjeeling district. Polling is being held at 922 polling stations, out of which five have been identified as critical.
In Siliguri, elections are being held for nine seats of Mahakuma Parishad (sub-divisional council), 22 panchayats and four panchayat samitis.
West Bengal by-elections 2022: By-elections underway in six municipalities
By-elections are also going on in six wards of six municipalities of the state. By-elections are being held in Ward 2 of Jhalda Municipality in Purulia as sitting Congress councilor Tapan Kandu was shot dead in March. Elections are also going on in Ward 8 of Panihati Municipality in North 24 Parganas district where TMC councilor Anupam Dutta was shot dead.
Voting is underway in Ward 3 of Bhatpara Municipality, Ward 16 of Chandannagar Municipality and Ward 4 of Dumdum Municipality as one candidate in each of these wards died before the elections in February. Voting is also underway in Ward 29 of Dakshin Dum Dum Municipality.