Voters set a scorching 80% turnout

West Bengal Phase 2 polls largely peaceful, though violence and electoral malpractices were reported in Birbhum

Long queues were seen outside most booths from the time polling started at 7 a.m. The scene at Bandhlodanga in Birbhum district on Sunday.

Nearly 80 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise in the second phase of elections in West Bengal across 56 constituencies in six districts in the northern part of the State and one in the south.

“About 79.7 percent votes were called altogether till 5 p.m. The figures are expected to rise after final reports arrive,” Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Gupta said.

In Alipurduar, 82.07 per cent of the votes were polled, and in Jalapaiguri, 77.69. In Darjeeling, voting was 74 per cent. In North Dinajpur, 78.9 per cent of the votes were polled and in South Dinajpur, 82.72 per cent. Malda witnessed a 79.6 per cent polling and Birbhum 82.89 per cent.

Five of the constituencies where polling was held were in Alipurduar district, seven in Jalpaiguri, nine in North Dinajpur, six each in Darjeeling and South Dinajpur, 12 in Malda and 11 in Birbhum.

Despite the heat and humidity, long queues were seen outside most booths from the time polling started at 7 a.m.

Polling in north Bengal remained largely peaceful, while allegations of violence and electoral malpractices surfaced mainly from Birbhum in south Bengal.

The Election Commission received 1,001 complaints during the day. Officials said over 90 per cent of them had been disposed of.

Central forces were attacked allegedly by party workers at Bolpur in Birbhum, while Trinamool Congress supporters got into an argument with the BJP candidate from Mayureshwar, Locket Chattterjee. Ms. Chatterjee was, however, seen in a video footage threatening the presiding officer inside a polling booth.

Commenting on the polling, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member Mohammed Salim said the polls were largely peaceful, though allegations of electoral malpractices were reported at Labhpur, Bolpur in Birbhum and Rajganj in Jalpaiguri district.

A BJP delegation, led by party vice-president Jay Prakash Majumdar, met the Chief Electoral Officer, and demanded re-polling in all seats in Birbhum. “We demand re-polling in all 11 constituencies in Birbhum as the large-scale rigging by the Trinamool turned the polls into a farce today. The re-polling should be held with [Trinamool leader] Anubrata Mondal in jail,” Mr. Majumdar said.

This was one of the most crucial phases of the elections, which has been staggered across six phases in seven days over a month. The Trinamool contested 55 seats, the BJP 53, the Congress 23 and the Left Front 34. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha contested three seats in the Darjeeling hills.

With the elections, the fate of 383 candidates, including 33 women, has been sealed. The third phase of polls will be held on Thursday, when 62 seats in Murshidabad, Nadia, Kolkata and Bardhaman will go to the polls.