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Weeks of campaigning have come to an end ahead of the first phase of voting in the West Bengal assembly elections in India.

Voting will be held on Thursday from 7 am to 6 pm local time in a total of 152 constituencies in 16 districts of North and South Bengal.

The Election Commission has taken strict security measures for this year’s assembly elections, which many are calling ‘war preparations’.

Central forces have been deployed to ensure fair and peaceful voting. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata has claimed that 2 lakh police and central forces have been brought from Delhi for the voting.

The presiding officer will hand over the slips to all the voters who are in line at the polling station gate, along with the central forces. This is the rule for this year’s election.

Moreover, this time, you will not be able to go to vote with your mobile phone. To solve that problem, the commission will set up a mobile counter in front of the booth for the first time. Voters will be able to leave their mobile phones there and go to vote.

The Election Commission has said that central forces will be in charge of security at all booths. They will ensure the safety of voters. In addition, care will be taken to ensure that the voting is peaceful.

In this election, the two main opponents, the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), will both want to maintain their dominance as much as possible in more than half of the seats in the state.

However, in addition to the equal fight between these two parties, candidates from the Congress, CPI(M), ISF, and Aam Janata Unnayan Party are also contesting in this election.

Nearly 36 million voters will decide the fate of 1,478 candidates in the first round of elections on Thursday.

The current Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, is campaigning for a fourth consecutive term. However, if the BJP wins the elections and is able to form the government, it will be the first Hindutva-based government in West Bengal.

If this happens, it will be a major turning point in West Bengal politics. On the other hand, if the Trinamool Congress wins again, their rule will continue.

Although the ruling Trinamool Congress party is ahead in various opinion polls, there are indications that the competition will be fierce. In this election, the result could change by just a few thousand votes.

Because, before these assembly elections, not only a two-way fight between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress has emerged in 152 seats, but a multi-faceted equation has emerged.

In the 2021 elections, 57 seats were decided by a margin of just 8,000 votes. All eyes are on those same seats again. Here, even a small change in votes can make a big difference.

Of the 57 seats with narrow margins, 47 are in South Bengal. There are only 10 such seats in North Bengal. South Bengal has long been known as a stronghold of the Trinamool Congress.

Therefore, the BJP has been more active there. The big challenge for the Trinamool Congress is to maintain its dominance in the seats with small margins, while retaining power.

Again, Congress may also attract some anti-BJP votes, which will further increase the problems of Trinamool Congress.

Moreover, it remains to be seen how much impact the breakup of the alliance between Humayun Kabir’s Aam Janata Unnayan Party and Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM before the elections will have on the Trinamool.

The US military recently diverted at least three Iranian-flagged oil tankers in the Asian Sea, preventing them from reaching their destinations, according to multiple maritime and security sources.

The three tankers were seized near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, Reuters reported, citing sources.

Washington has imposed a blockade on Iranian trade by sea, while Tehran has also fired on several ships to prevent them from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the Gulf.

A bloody conflict in the Middle East began two months ago after the United States and Israel attacked Iran. It later involved Lebanon’s Hezbollah and pro-Iranian groups in Iraq. Tensions eased somewhat when Iran and the United States agreed to a ceasefire earlier this month. The truce was later extended, but there is no sign of peace talks resuming.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has cut off one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies, causing a severe energy crisis around the world.

US forces recently seized an Iranian cargo ship and an oil tanker, while Iran said it seized two container ships trying to leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.

They fired at a total of three ships, including these two, before capturing them. Iran has never captured a ship before since the war began.

US forces have diverted at least three more Iranian-flagged oil tankers from their designated routes in recent days, two Indian and US naval sources and two separate Western maritime security sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

Reuters sought comment on the report that Iranian ships were intercepted and diverted in the Asian Sea, but there was no immediate response from the US military.

One of the Iranian-flagged vessels, the Deep Sea supertanker, was partially loaded with crude oil and was near the Malaysian coast a week ago, according to its identification transponder signals, according to the shipping monitoring platform Marine Traffic and multiple sources.

Another small Iranian-flagged tanker, the Sevin, was also intercepted by US forces en route. The tanker, which has a maximum capacity of one million barrels, was carrying 65% of its capacity at the time of the interception. The vessel was last seen off the coast of Malaysia a month ago, according to shipping data.

Multiple sources and data from marine traffic platforms have confirmed that the Iranian-flagged supertanker Dorena, carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil, was last seen off the southern coast of India three days ago.

In a post on X on Wednesday, the US Central Command said that a US Navy destroyer had taken the Dorena into custody in the Indian Ocean for attempting to breach their blockade.

Panama has strongly condemned the seizure of one of its ships by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. The country’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Italian-owned MSC Francesca, which was flying the Panamanian flag, was seized by Iran while passing through the Strait of Hormuz and forcibly taken into its territorial waters.
Iran’s IRGC seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz last Wednesday (April 22). Photo: Collected
Iran’s IRGC seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz last Wednesday (April 22). Photo: Collected
International Desk

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The ministry also said Iran’s move “poses a serious threat to maritime security” and “creates unnecessary tension” at a time when the international community wants the Strait of Hormuz to remain open to international shipping without any threats or pressure.

Meanwhile, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said a Greek-owned cargo ship had been attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, but added that it was “unclear” whether the ship had been seized by Iranian forces.

“It was a Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned ship and it was trying to exit the Strait of Hormuz,” Gerapetritis told CNN on Wednesday, adding, “We have issued a general notice to all Greek-owned ships to be extremely cautious, to exercise maximum restraint and to refrain from transiting the strait.”

Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced that three ships had been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, including the Greek-flagged Epaminondas, which suffered ‘serious damage’.

Read more: Three cargo ships shot at in Hormuz, two seized

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement that it had seized two ships, the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas, the first of which is owned by the Israeli government.

The statement said, “The two ships were operating without authorization, repeatedly violating regulations, interfering with navigational aids, and endangering maritime safety by attempting to secretly exit the strait.”

According to the statement, “For this reason, the ships were identified and stopped in order to uphold the rights of the great Iranian nation in the Strait of Hormuz, based on the intelligence capabilities of the force, and were transferred to Iranian territorial waters “for inspection of their cargo, documents and records.”

Read more: Extending ceasefire ‘a strategy to buy time for a surprise attack’: Iran

The IRGC Navy warned that any attempt to obstruct the implementation of the law announced by Iran for passage through the Strait of Hormuz or any activity contrary to the safe passage of this strategic waterway will be continuously monitored and strict and legal measures will be taken against violators.

On the contrary, public confidence is declining, which is ultimately having a negative impact on the financial situation. A report by the British news agency Reuters on Wednesday (April 22) highlighted the uncertainty created in almost every sector of the global economy due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the impact of the energy crisis. The impact of which will become more evident in the coming months.

According to the report, companies were already struggling with US tariffs, high raw material prices and weak demand before the war began in late February. The war has added to those pressures. AkzoNobel, the maker of the famous Dulux brand of paint, said the war had caused supply costs to rise significantly.

“Our raw material costs will increase by about 20 percent due to the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. We will see the full impact of this in the next six months,” said Gregg Pox-Guillaume, the company’s chief executive.

AkzoNobel is a multinational paint and coatings company based in the Netherlands. They sell a variety of brands of products, from decorative paints to specialty coatings used on cargo ships and Formula 1 cars. When AkzoNobel’s products increase in price, it is passed directly to consumers.

Read more: Panama reacts strongly to ship seizure in Hormuz

According to a Reuters review, 21 companies have lowered or withdrawn their financial targets since the war began. 32 companies have signaled price increases and 31 companies have expressed concerns about financial losses due to the war.

French food manufacturer Danone said baby food shipments from Europe through the Middle East have been severely affected by the war, with sales growth slowing compared to last year.

Similarly, Dettol soap maker Reckitt predicted a decline in profits due to higher oil prices. Reckitt’s share price also fell 5 percent, its lowest since October 2024.

The tourism sector has been hit hardest by the Iran war. Rising jet fuel prices are forcing airlines and tour operators to raise ticket prices. Some flights are also being canceled. At the same time, geopolitical tensions are reducing consumer interest in traveling.

Read more: Trump’s naval blockade responsible for diplomatic deadlock: Iran

German tourism group TUI has cut its annual profit target, citing war uncertainties. United Airlines in the US also said it was under pressure from falling demand and full-year profits could be below expectations.

The mining industry is also under pressure. Mining company South 32 has indicated it may reduce production at its Australian manganese unit. The company said that tensions in the Middle East have significantly increased its transportation costs and raw material prices. It has taken steps to mitigate the potential impact on supply chains and is closely monitoring the situation.

“We could have raised our revenue target even further if it weren’t for the uncertainty of war,” said Larry Culp, CEO of GE Aerospace, a world leader in providing aircraft engines, systems and services for commercial and military aviation.

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