Bengal polls: Voting picks up pace, 39.97 pc recorded in 1st four hours

Kolkata, April 29 (IANS) The polling percentage in the first four hours till 11 a.m. on Wednesday in the second phase of West Bengal Assembly elections has been recorded at 39.97.

This is slightly lower than the 41.1 per cent recorded in the first four hours of April 23 voting in the first phase in 152 Assembly constituencies.

District-wise till 11 a.m. East Burdwan district recorded the highest polling percentage at 44.50, followed by Hooghly district at 43.12, Nadia at 40.34, Howrah at 39.45, North 24 Parganas at 38.43, the electoral district of Kolkata (Uttar) at 38.39, South 24 Parganas at 37.92 and the electoral district of Kolkata (Dakshin) at 36.78.

Incidentally, this polling percentage is substantially higher than the average percentage of 28.10 recorded in the same period in the seven-phase 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

On Wednesday, the Union Home Minister called up the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, and enquired about the progress of polling in the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in South Kolkata, which is witnessing a high-profile contest between Adhikari and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Meanwhile, sporadic tension continues to prevail in the hyper-sensitive Bhangar Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district. A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached the constituency in relation to the agency’s investigation into two cases it is investigating, one related to an explosion and the other related to the recovery of crude bombs there just before the second phase of polling.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had demanded repolling at Falta Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district, which, during the last couple of days, witnessed a battle of dialogues between the Election Commission of India (ECI)-appointed police observer Ajay Pal Sharma and the Trinamool Congress candidate from Falta, Jahangir Khan.

At Kanchrapara in North 24 Parganas district, the Trinamool Congress councillor from Kanchrapara Municipality, Kalyan Kar, got into an argument with an Independent candidate for standing within a hundred meters of the polling booth. Finally, the councillor got into a scuffle with an Independent candidate. Later, the police arrived and brought the situation under control.

A Trinamool Congress polling agent was arrested in Nadia's Chapra Assembly constituency by the central forces personnel deployed there. The agent of booth 54 of Chapra Assembly constituency was accused of influencing voters.

--IANS