Thaindian News

Kolkata, Sep 25 (IANS) Around 50 percent voting was reported Sunday in West Bengal’s Bhowanipore assembly constituency where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is seeking her maiden entry into the assembly.

Polling was, however, brisk in North 24 Pargana district’s Basirhat Uttar, the other seat where by-elections took place. About 80 percent of the electors voted there.

About 49.32 percent polling was reported in Bhowanipore, state chief electoral officer Sunil Gupta said.

There was no violence in any of the constituencies.

With rains lashing the city over the past couple of days, low voting was recorded in the initial hours at Bhowanipore.

The Bhowanipore seat fell vacant after legislator and state Public Works Department Minister Subrata Bakshi resigned to make way for Banerjee.

Bhawanipore is part of Banerjee’s Kolkata South Lok Sabha constituency, which has been electing her since 1991.

She is the second chief minister of the state eyeing a by-poll victory to enter the state assembly.

Pitted agaainst Banerjee was Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) candidate Nandini Mukherjee, a computer science professor.

‘Didi’, as Banerjee is popularly called, led her party to a massive victory in the April-May assembly polls, unseating the 34-year-old Left Front regime.

Banerjee voted after 4 p.m. at the Mitra Institution School and flashed a victory sign after coming out of the booth.

Asked about the low voter turnout, she said: “There is always a section of people who do not vote… Personally I feel that everybody should vote.”

In Basirhat (Uttar), two Electronic Voting Machine developed snags and were replaced.

The by-poll became necessary in Basirhat (Uttar) after CPI-M lawmaker Mostafa Bin Qasem allegedly committed suicide by jumping from the balcony of his room in the MLAs’ Hostel.

Trinamool’s A.T.M. Abdulla is pitted against the CPI-M’s Subid Ali Gazi in Basirhat where 1.93 lakh voters were eligible to vote.