Bengal went into poll mode on Saturday afternoon and will remain so for from March till June with the announcement of the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls by the Election Commission of India in New Delhi.

Bengal, along with Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, will have the most number of phases, seven, like in 2019.

The two seats in Calcutta along with neighbouring Jadavpur, Dum Dum and Barasat will vote last on June 1. The poll results will be declared on June 4.

The Trinamul Congress reacted sharply, saying that the Election Commission did not take into account the West Bengal government's views on the number of phases.

TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray claimed that this was a disregard for the federal structure of the country.

"State government's views were not taken into account. We fail to understand the reasons for holding such a long election. This is quite surprising," he said.

Though in 2014, when Narendra Modi came to power, the polls were held in nine phases, the schedule did not spill over to the month of June.

The ruling Trinamul had demanded polls be held on a single day. The Election Commission had asked for 920 companies of central armed paramilitary forces to conduct peaceful polls.

Of the 42 seats in Bengal, three seats, each from North Bengal, will go to polls in the first two phases on April 19 and April 26, four seats on May 7 during the third phase.

The CPM central committee member and Dum Dum nominee Sujan Chakraborty said, the central poll panel should ensure the voters can reach the polling booths.

“The number of phases do not matter. In successive elections from Lok Sabha to panchayat the Trinamul goons have not allowed people to cast their votes. This has to stop,” said Chakraborty.