New Delhi: Polling in the first phase of Assam and West Bengal’s assembly elections ended at 7 pm on Saturday, with 72% of the voters exercising their franchise in the northeastern state, while this number was nearly 80% in Bengal.
In Assam, polling remained peaceful but some complaints of EVM glitches were lodged, an Election Commission official told news agency PTI. In Bengal, there were sporadic reports of violence.
Long queues were seen outside polling booths with voters and election officials adhering to COVID-19 protocols.
First-time voters in many polling stations were greeted with saplings.
Voting began at 7 am in the northeastern state to decide the fate of chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and a host of ministers and opposition leaders. Altogether 264 candidates, including 23 women, are in the fray, he said.
Two more phases of election will be held in Assam, with the last one on April 6. Results will be announced on May 2.
Sporadic incidents of violence in West Bengal
In West Bengal, the first of eight phases saw an enthusiastic response in the early hours. By 9 am, nearly 15% of the voters in the 30 seats where polls are underway, most of which are in the once-Naxal-affected Jungalmahal region, across five districts.
By the end of poling, this surged to 79.79%.
According to PTI, sporadic incidents of violence were reported from some areas.
On Friday night, the officer-in-charge of Patashpur police station, Dipak Chakraborty, and a paramilitary personnel were injured in a bomb attack when they were patrolling the area.
They are undergoing treatment at the Egra Hospital and their conditions are stated to be stable, according to officials.
A man, in his mid-30s, was found dead in Keshiary’s Begumpur area in the Paschim Medinipur district in the morning, police said. He has been identified as Mangal Soren, they said, adding that his body was found outside his home.
The BJP claimed that Soren was their supporter and was allegedly killed by TMC “goons”, a charge rubbished by the ruling party.
Voters queue up, maintaining social distancing as precaution against COVID-19, outside a polling station during the first phase of polling for Assam Assembly elections, at Amguri in Nagaon district, March 27, 2021. Photo: PTI
However, the district administration in its report to the Election Commission (EC) said that there was no connection of the death to the polls.
A large team of central forces has been deployed in the area, officials said.
In the Salboni area of the same district, CPI(M) candidate Susanta Gosh was heckled and stones were hurled at his vehicle, allegedly by TMC supporters. As soon as he reached Salboni Bazar, some TMC supporters gheraoed and heckled him, following which they also attacked his car, eyewitnesses told PTI.
Long queues were seen outside most booths in the initial hours with people stepping out early to avoid the sweltering heat, besides the uncertainty of being able to cast their votes in case of violence later in the day.
According to PTI, in some booths, voters were provided masks, while sanitisers and polythene gloves were made available at most locations.
More than 73 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 191 candidates in these 30 seats.
Voting, which will continue till 6 pm, is being held amid tight security, with the EC deploying around 730 companies of Central forces, guarding 10,288 polling booths housed in 7,061 premises, officials said.
The final phase of voting in West Bengal will be on April 28, with the results to be announced on May 2.