Kolkata: West Bengal registered 84.24 per cent turnout in sixth and final phase of assembly polls, informs Election Commission (EC).
A TMC worker was shot at in Baharampur area in poll related violence. The victim identified as Subir Sarkar is Murshidabad TMC district secretary, he has been admitted to a hospital with serious injuries. Party members allege CPI(M) members are behind this attack.
Polling began at 7 am for 25 constituencies covering the Cooch Behar and East Midnapore districts in the sixth and final phase of the month-long polling for the West Bengal Assembly elections.
Over 58 lakh (58,04,019) voters across 6,774 polling stations, including 9 auxiliary booths, are eligible to decide the fate of 170 candidates -- 18 of them female in this phase. The Election Commission Ais using 7,790 EVMs and 621 VVPATs. 9 of the constituencies are in Cooch Behar district and 16 in East Midnapore.
As it happened:
5 pm: 84.24% polling
3 pm: 74.15% polling
1 pm: 61.88% polling
11 am: 45.88% polling
9am: 23.46% polling recorded
7am: Polling begins for sixth and final phase of WB Assembly Elections
While the Left Front is in fray in 18 seats, the Congress is contesting from 4 constituencies, with the alliance extending support to 3 independent candidates. The Trinamool and the BJP are fighting all the seats. The star candidates include Trinamool's heavyweight leader and MP Suvendu Adhikari (Nandigram), who was purportedly seen in the Narada News sting operation video taking wads of currency notes in return for favours to a fictitious company.
Among other major candidates are state minister Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar (Mahisadal), Udayan Guha (Dinhata) -- both from Trinamool and Paresh Chandra Adhikary (Mekhliganj) of the AIFB.
It is also a historic day for the dwellers of the erstwhile enclaves in Cooch Behar who are voting for the first time, marking another giant leap in their absorption into India after nearly seven decades of stateless existence. Altogether 9,776 erstwhile enclave dwellers, including 567 who have opted for India from the former Indian enclaves -- now part of Bangladesh -- are registered as electors. They are Aspread across five constituencies -- Dinhata (5,486 voters), Mekhliganj (988), Sitai (1,396), Sitalkuchi (1,898) and Tufanganj (8).
Following the implementation of the historic Land Boundary Agreement, Bangladesh and India exchanged 162 adversely-held enclaves on August 1, 2015. Rising to the occasion, the Election Commission has rolled out the red carpet for the 9,776 first-time voters, besides setting up five model polling stations with facilities for sitting, wheelchairs etc.
The results for all 194 constituencies will be announced on May 19.
