Thaindian News

Kolkata, April 23 (IANS) Around 39 percent of voting was recorded in the first four hours of polling held in 50 constituencies spread over three districts in the second phase of the West Bengal assembly elections Saturday.

People queued up in large numbers outside polling booths and so far the voting was peaceful, officials said. In many booths, women outnumbered men in the queues since polling began at 7 a.m.

Over 93 lakh voters at 11,531 polling stations spread over Murshidabad, Nadia and Birbhum districts will elect their representatives from 293 candidates.

Murshidabad has 22 seats, Nadia 17 and Birbhum 11.

A polling agent of a Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) candidate in Murshidabad was arrested after postal ballots were found from his possession, said a senior election officer.

One presiding officer in Ranaghat South constituency in Nadia district was replaced for influencing the voters inside the polling station and another officer in Bharatpur constituency in Murshidabad district was replaced after he fell ill.

Elsewhere, there were no reports of any untoward incidents, Joint Chief Electoral Officer Dibyendu Sarkar said.

“Till 11 a.m., the average polling recorded in the three districts was around 39 percent,” Sarkar said.

“In Birbhum, 40 percent of polling was recorded, while in Murshidabad and Nadia the polling percentage was 37 and 39 percent respectively,” he added.

In some polling stations voting was delayed for a few minutes due to malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVM). At least 65 EVMs have been replaced so far in three districts, said Sarkar.

The CPI-M-led ruling Left Front faces its biggest ever challenge in its 34 years of rule from the Trinamool Congress-Congress combine.

Prominent candidates whose fate is being decided include CPI-M leader and state minister Anisur Rehman, union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s son Avijit Mukherjee who is contesting on a Congress ticket, and former high court judge and Trinamool Congress nominee Nure Alam Chowdhury.

Rukbanur Rahman, brother of computer graphics teacher Rizwanur Rahman who was killed a month after he married the daughter of Kolkata-based industrialist Ashok Todi, and Baul (folk) singer Parikkhit Bala are also in the race as Trinamool Congress nominees.

The CPI-M has fielded candidates in 31 seats, while its Left Front partners Revolutionary Socialist Party, Forward Bloc and Communist Party of India are contesting in nine, five and one seat respectively, leaving three other seats to other minor parties.

The Trinamool is in the race in 29 and the Congress in 21 constituencies. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is contesting in all the 50 constituencies.

Armed security personnel have been posted in and around the polling booths across the three districts to ensure free and fair polls and to prevent any breach of peace.

A total of 488 companies of central police forces have been deployed in the second phase of assembly poll, Sarkar said.

A record 84.11 percent turnout was seen April 18 in the first phase of balloting in 54 constituencies of north Bengal. The last four phases of the state’s assembly polls will be held April 27 (75 constituencies), May 3 (63), May 7 (38) and May 10 (14).

The votes will be counted May 13.