Comments
The last and final phase of polls in Bengal witnessed a voter turnout of over 84 per cent till 5 pm. This figure is likely to go up as polling was held till 6 pm
Polls were held in 25 seats across Purbo Medinipur (16) and Cooch Behar (nine) districts.
During the last Assembly elections in 2011, the final voter turnout in these 25 Assembly constituencies was 88.41 per cent.
First-time voters Voting in Cooch Behar saw nearly 9,776 voters, all residents of erstwhile enclaves, exercise their maiden adult franchise. At least three 100-year-olds from these erstwhile enclaves voted for the first time.
As many as 170 candidates, including 18 women, were in the fray in the sixth phase.
According to Sunil Gupta, Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, around 85 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Purbo Medinipur, and Cooch Behar 82.71 per cent.
Trinamool under fire The final phase of the polls, however, was not without its share of irregularities. Opposition parties accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of resorting to malpractices.
The TMC candidate from Cooch Behar’s Natabari seat, Rabindra Nath Ghosh, landed himself in controversy when he was caught on camera allegedly threatening a polling officer inside the booth. In Moyna seat, the CPI(M) alleged that its polling agent’s house was vandalised by Trinamool supporters. In Nandigram, the Opposition yet again accused the TMC of intimidating and threatening their agents.
Counting will take place on May 19.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.