West Bengal Phase II voting: Bhabanipur, Panihati, Bhangar- key constituencies to watch in the 142-seat showdown

When West Bengal votes in the second and final phase of the assembly elections on Wednesday, it will not only be choosing 142 MLAs across the state's political heartland, but also will be deciding whether the TMC still holds its southern fortress or the BJP has finally found a road to the state secretariat, Nabanna.

If the first phase on 23 April tested whether the BJP could retain its traditional edge in north Bengal and adjoining districts, the final round shifts the battle decisively to the TMC's home turf - Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Hooghly and Purba Bardhaman.

The stakes are blunt. Of the 142 seats going to the polls, the TMC had won 123 in 2021, the BJP just 18 and the ISF one.

Here's a look at the key constituencies:

Bhabanipur: At the symbolic centre of this phase stands Bhabanipur - Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's political refuge and the BJP's chosen psychological battleground, where she faces Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in what many here call the "mother of all electoral contests".

Panihati: With the RG Kar rape and murder case still unresolved, the BJP has fielded Ratna Debnath—the mother of the doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital—against TMC's Kalatan Dasgupta in Panihati.

Kolkata Port: TMC re-nominated senior minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, who has held the seat for two consecutive terms, while the BJP fielded Rakesh Singh. The Congress nominated Aquib Gulzar, and the CPI(M) put up Faiyaz Ahmad Khan, making it a four-cornered contest.

The seat is now under scanner following a sharp decline in the number of voters after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has injected an element of uncertainty into the Kolkata Port Assembly constituency.

Bhangar: One of the most closely watched constituencies in this phase, Bhangar has the highest number of candidates at 19, including ISF MLA Nawsad Siddiqui.

Other important seats include Bhatpara, Jagatdal and Barrackpur, Bangaon, Dumdum, Sandeshkhali, Hingalganj, Ranaghat Uttar and Dakshin, Rashbehari, Jadavpur and Ballygunge.

Among other prominent candidates contesting in this phase are state ministers Sujit Bose in Bidhannagar, Jyoti Priya Mallick in Habra, Bratya Basu in Dum Dum and Sovandeb Chattopadhyay in Ballygunge, and BJP's Arjun Singh in Noapara, Swapan Dasgupta in Rashbehari and Rudranil Ghosh in Shibpur.

Here's the full list of constituencies that are going to polls on Wednesday:

• Gangarampur
• Harirampur
• Kushmandi
• Kumarganj
• Balurghat
• Tapan
• Gangarampur
• Harirampur
• Kushmandi
• Kumarganj
• Raiganj
• Itahar
• Hemtabad
• Kaliaganj
• Kushmandi
• Karandighi
• Goalpokhar
• Chakulia
• Karimpur
• Chopra
• Islampur
• Goalpokhar
• Chakulia
• Karandighi
• Habibpur
• Gazole
• Chanchal
• Harischandrapur
• Malatipur
• Ratua
• Manikchak
• Maldaha
• English Bazar
• Mothabari
• Sujapur
• Baishnabnagar
• Farakka
• Samserganj
• Suti
• Jangipur
• Raghunathganj
• Sagardighi
• Lalgola
• Bhagabangola
• Raninagar
• Murshidabad
• Nabagram
• Khargram
• Burwan
• Kandi
• Bharatpur
• Rejinagar
• Beldanga
• Baharampur
• Hariharpara
• Naoda
• Domkal
• Jalangi
• Karimpur
• Tehatta
• Palashipara
• Kaliganj
• Nakashipara
• Chapra
• Krishnanagar Uttar
• Nabadwip
• Krishnanagar Dakshin
• Santipur
• Ranaghat Uttar Paschim
• Ranaghat Uttar Purba
• Ranaghat Dakshin
• Chakdaha
• Kalyani
• Haringhata
• Bagdah
• Bongaon Uttar
• Bongaon Dakshin
• Gaighata
• Swarupnagar
• Baduria
• Habra
• Ashoknagar
• Amdanga
• Bijpur
• Naihati
• Bhatpara
• Jagatdal
• Noapara
• Barrackpore
• Khardaha
• Dum Dum Uttar
• Panihati
• Kamarhati
• Baranagar
• Dum Dum
• Rajarhat New Town
• Bidhannagar
• Rajarhat Gopalpur
• Madhyamgram
• Barasat
• Deganga
• Haroa
• Minakhan
• Sandeshkhali
• Basirhat Dakshin
• Basirhat Uttar
• Hingalganj
• Gosaba
• Basanti
• Kultali
• Patharpratima
• Kakdwip
• Sagar
• Kulpi
• Raidighi
• Mandirbazar
• Jaynagar
• Baruipur Purba
• Canning Paschim
• Canning Purba
• Baruipur Paschim
• Magrahat Purba
• Magrahat Paschim
• Diamond Harbour
• Falta
• Satgachia
• Bhabanipur
• Rashbehari
• Ballygunge
• Chowrangee
• Entally
• Beleghata
• Jorasanko
• Shyampukur
• Maniktala
• Kashipur-Belgachia
• Khidirpur
• Kolkata Port
• Bhawanipore
• Tollygunge
• Behala Purba
• Behala Paschim

In 2021, the TMC won all 11 seats in Kolkata, all 16 in Howrah, 30 of 31 in South 24 Parganas, 28 of 33 in North 24 Parganas, 14 of 18 in Hooghly and eight of 17 in Nadia. The BJP's principal gains came in North 24 Parganas and Nadia, powered largely by Matua and refugee votes, the citizenship debate and anti-incumbency against the ruling party.