Kolkata, April 22 -- Over 36 million eligible voters will decide the fate of 1,478 candidates, including 167 female candidates, on Thursday when 152 assembly constituencies in West Bengal go to polls in the first of the two-phased state election.

Of the 294 assembly seats in the state, while 152 constituencies go to polls in the first phase on April 23, elections to the remaining 142 seats will be held on April 29. The results would be announced on May 4.

While the Mamata Banerjee-led ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) is seeking a fourth term, its arch rival the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched an all-out campaign to oust the incumbent government.

The Congress, which has been virtually decimated in the state with its vote share ...