Kolkata. April 5: Polling for the third phase of assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam has begun at 7 am on Tuesday. Besides West Bengal and Assam, the Assembly Elections 2021 are also taking place in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. The polling in these two southern states and the union territory has also begun at 7 am today. The voting will conclude at 6 pm today. The live streaming of the voting for all the poll-bound states for today can be watched here. Click on the links for the live updates on voting in West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021, Assam Assembly Elections 2021, Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2021, Kerala Assembly Elections 2021, and Puducherry Assembly Elections 2021.

In West Bengal, a total of 31 constituencies are going for polls in the third phase. Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta, Tanushree Chakraborty, Pannalal Halder and Kalipada Mandal are the key candidates who are in the fray in the third phase of West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021. The polling for 294 states in West Bengal is taking place in eight phases starting from March 27 to April 29. The main competition in these elections in West Bengal is between the ruling TMC and the BJP. West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021: Swapan Dasgupta vs Ramendu Singha in Tarakeshwar & Other Key Electoral Battles to Watch Out For in Phase 3 Polls.

In Assam, the polling is taking place in 40 assembly constituencies in the third phase. A total of 337 candidates are in the fray, including 25 women. Out of the 40 seats, six are reserved for the STs and two for SCs. Over four lakh candidates will vote in the Assam Assembly Elections 2021 phase 3. The Congress is contesting the elections in alliance with AIUDF, Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF), CPI(M) CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Anchalik Gana Morcha (AGM). Meanwhile, the BJP is contesting these elections in alliance with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL). Assam Assembly Elections 2021: Here Are Key Electoral Battles to Watch Out For in Phase 3 Polls.

The elections for 234 assembly seats in Tamil Nadu are being conducted in a single phase. The ruling AIADMK formed an alliance with the BJP to contest the polls. Meanwhile, the opposition parties, the DMK and the Congress, are contesting the polls together. There are over 6.28 crore eligible voters in the state who will decide the fate of 3,998 candidates. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Deputy CM O Panneerselvam, DMK President MK Stalin, his son Udhayanidhi Stalin and actor Kamal Haasan are among key candidates.

The assembly elections in Kerala and Puducherry are also taking place in a single phase on April 6. There are 140 Vidhan Sabha seats in Kerala and 30 in Puducherry. Kerala is witnessing a three-cornered fight between the incumbent Left-led LDF, the Congress-led UDF, and the BJP. Bypolls to Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu and Malappuram Parliamentary constituency in Kerala are also taking place simultaneously. Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2021: CM Edappadi K Palaniswami to Take on DMK's T Sampath Kumar; Here Are 5 Key Electoral Battles to Watch Out in Vidhan Sabha Polls.

The Election Commission has made adequate arrangement for the phase 3 assembly elections. The poll body is conducting these polls following all COVID-19 protocols. The votes will be counted on May 2, and on the same day, the results will be declared.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 06, 2021 07:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).