By PTI
KOLKATA: Around 7.57 per cent polling was recorded in the by-election to the Bhowanipore assembly constituency, where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting, till 9 am on Thursday, Election Commission sources said.
They said that during the first two hours, around 16.32 and 17.51 per cent voting was recorded in Samserganj and Jangipur seats in Murshidabad district. Polling began at 7 am amid tight security. A total of 6,97,164 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the three constituencies.
Votes will be counted on October 3. Banerjee, who lost from the Nandigram constituency in the assembly elections earlier this year, has to win this by-poll to retain the chief minister’s post. Polls had to be countermanded in Jangipur and Samserganj in April following the death of two candidates.
Long queues were seen since early morning outside several booths across the constituencies. Voting will continue till 6 pm. Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress supremo, is pitted against BJP’s Priyanka Tibrewal and CPM’s Srijib Biswas in Bhowanipore.
