In West Bengal stage is set for fourth phase of Lok Sabha Elections in the state tomorrow. Elections will be held in 6 Parliamentary seats covering 3 Maoists hit districts, West Midnapur, Bankura, Purulia and Burdwan districts of the state. The elections in 6 Assembly segments of 3 Maoists hit districts will be held from 7 AM to 4 PM. However, polling will be held in other places as per normal schedule.

State Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Gupta told AIR that all arrangements have been completed to ensure free and fair voting. Polling personnel have already started reaching to their destinations. Over 88 lakhs 77 thousand electorates will determine the political fate of 72 candidates. Altogether, 11 thousand 330 polling booths have been opened in 4 districts. Unprecedented security arrangements are in place in Maoist infested areas.

AIR correspondent reports, Besides, 30 thousand state police around 350 companies of Central Paramilitary Forces have been deployed in Maoist hit Jangalmahal and adjacent Asansol. Six anti-landmine vehicles to detect land mines and two Air Force helicopters have also been pressed into service for air surveillance. The Election Commission has reduced the voting hours in Left wing extremism affected 6 Assembly segments of Jhargram, Binpur, Bandwan, Balarampur, Baghmundi and Joypur by 2 hours to avoid any untoward incident. In 2009 Elections Left parties won in all 6 seats in the 4 districts. But havoc erosion took place in this Left bastion in these South Bengal districts in 2011 Assembly Elections. Restoration of peace at Jangalmahal and improvement of life standard of poor people of this region are the main election issues. Important candidates are in the fray include Basudeb Acharia and Bansa Gopal Chowdhury of CPI(M), Prabodh Panda of CPI, actress Munmun Sen and Sandhya Roy of Trinamul Congress, Nepal Mahato of Congress and singer Babul-Supriyo of BJP.