By Express News Service
KOLKATA/GUWAHATI: Amid stray incidents of violence and trading of barbs over electoral malpractices, nearly 80 per cent polling was reported in the 30 constituencies of West Bengal that voted in the first phase of the eight-phase assembly election on Saturday.
In Assam 72.14 per cent turnout was recorded for 47 of the total 126 seats that went to polls.
The voting percentage in Bengal is around 3 per cent less than the previous assembly elections. The 30 constituencies that went to polls on Saturday included all the 18 constituencies that had voted in the first phase in 2016, too.
The rising cases of COVID-19 and absence of a large number of migrant workers, who had left the state following the lockdown, are believed to be the reason behind the slight drop in turnout.
Polling was held under tight security blanket with 730 companies of central forces guarding 10,288 polling booths in Junglemahal’s Purulia, Jhargram, West Midnapore and Bankura districts. However, violence was reported from pockets in Midnapore.
Two police officers were injured in Bhagawanpur in East Midnapore when goons hurled crude bombs. Attack on political rivals also took place in West and East Midnapore districts. CPM candidate in Junglemahal’s Shalboni, Sushanta Ghosh, was manhandled when he was visiting a polling booth.
He was pushed, allegedly by the Trinamool Congress supporters and his vehicle was vandalised. Soumendu Adhikari, brother of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s challenger in Nandigram constituency Suvendu Adhikari, was attacked, booth allegedly by TMC supporters, when he was on his way to a polling in Contai South constituency.
Windshields of his vehicle were smashed. Three persons were arrested in connection with the attack. “I came to know the TMC supporters were casting bogus votes at a booth and was heading there. A group of TMC men waylaid me and attacked my car,” alleged Soumendu, who joined the BJP recently.
The TMC, however, denied the allegation and said the incident was a fall out of common people’s anger as Soumendu was roaming with outsiders. In Assam, the polling was largely peaceful.
Unlike the three-phase elections this time, the 2016 polls were held in two phases with 65 constituencies voting in the first phase, which had recorded 82.41 per cent turnout. An election official died as his health deteriorated at a polling station in Sonari.