Thaindian News

Kolkata, Apr 18 (ANI): Around seventy four per cent voters exercised their franchise as polling ended in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections for 54 seats spread over the six northern districts on Monday.Coochbehar district had the highest turnout at 66 per cent while the lowest of 57 per cent was recorded in North Dinajpur and Jalpaiguri.The turnout in Darjeeling was 64 per cent, Malda 59 per cent and South Dinajpur 60 per cent.Among the important political figures whose fate were sealed in ballots include ten Ministers of the Left Front government, including Urban Development Minister Ashok Bhattacharya (CPI-M), PWD Minister Kshiti Goswami, Jail And Social Welfare Minister Biswanath Chowdhury (both belonging to RSP), Congress leader Debaprasad Roy and Trinamool Congress Darjeeling district president Gautam Deb.Elaborate security arrangements was made to ensure free and fair polls. Out of 12,131 polling booths, about 1,800 have been identified as sensitive. Twenty-eight general observers, nine expenditure observers and three police observers were monitored the polling.The Left Front has been in power in West Bengal for more than three decades.Presently, it is facing a tough challenge from opposition Trinamool Congress and its ally Congress, who have stepped up pressure by raising simmering issues such as Maoist insurgency, corruption, and unemployment, ahead of the polls.The CPI-M is contesting 32 seats, the Communist Party of India (CPI) two, Forward Bloc 10, Revolutionary Communist Party (RSP) nine, Socialist Party one, Trinamool Congress 26, Congress 27, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) one, and Bharatiya Janata Party 49.The state will have elections in six phases. The second phase of voting will take place on April 23, third phase on April 27, fourth phase on May 3, fifth phase on May 7 and sixth phase on May 10. The total number of assembly constituencies in West Bengal is 294, of which 68 are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and 16 for the Scheduled Tribes. (ANI)