Thakurganj, Bangaon, April 18 -- West Bengal will vote in two phases for its 294 Assembly seats on April 23 and 29. The contest is widely seen as a bipolar fight between the ruling All India Trinamool Congress and a resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

On a drive from Kolkata to North 24 Parganas, near the India-Bangladesh border, voters from diverse backgrounds shared the issues shaping their choices. Among the most prominent was the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the deletion of voter names during the process.

A significant number of names from both the Matua (Hindu) community and Muslim voters were removed during the exercise that happened in 13 states, including West Bengal.

Senior BJP lead...