New Delhi, April 28 -- 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 April 23 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 polls, the TMC had won 123 in 2021, the BJP just 18 and the ISF one.

Bhaban...