Phase 3 Bengal polls: Can Congress retain its 3 seats out of 5

New Delhi, Apr 23: Out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats, five are polling in the third phase today. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) would look to put up a strong fight in the wake of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerging as a challenger in the state.

The constituencies that are polling today are Malda North, Malda South, Jangipur, Balurghat and Murshidabad. In these seats, it was 3 to the Congress and one each to the TMC and CPI (M).

The Congress won the elections in Malda North, Malda South and Jangipur. The Balurghat seat was picked up by the TMC, while the CPI (M) won in Murshidabad. While the TMC has never won the four seats, it would be hoping to do better this time.

In Malda North, it has fielded two time Congress lawmaker Mausam Benazir Noor, who switched over to the TMC. She is also the niece of A B A Ghani Khan, an 8 time MP from this constituencies. She will battle Isha Khan Chaudhary of the Congress, who is her cousin.

Congress lawmaker Abu Hasem Khan Choudhary is fighting the Malda South seat. He is expected to have it easier, as the Left has not fielded a candidate. Meanwhile in Jangipur, Abhijit Mukherjee, son of former president of India, Pranab Mukherjee is seeking a re-election. He won the seat in 2012 after his father vacated the seat. In 2014, he managed to win the elections, but by a margin of 8,161 votes.

In Balurghat, the TMC is up against the BJP. It is expected to be a tough fight for the TMC's Arpita Ghosh. On the other hand, the CPI is hoping to retain the Murshidabad seat, which it had won in 2014 by a margin of 18,453 votes.