Lok Sabha Polls
West Bengal records 66.4 pct voting in first phase till 3 pm
An estimated 66.34 percent of voters exercised their franchise till 3 pm in West Bengal where three Lok Sabha seats were voted in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in the politically crucial state.
In the first phase, voting took place North Bengal with Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri recording 65.54 per cent, 66.23 per cent and 67.28 per cent polling respectively.
Only Tripura, a north-east state, with 68.35 per cent polling is ahead of Bengal in terms of votes cast so far in the country.
Meanwhile, Poll Panel reportedly received in all 468 complaints up to 2 PM with 218 from Cooch Behar, 150 from Alipurduar and 100 from Jalpaiguri.
Delhi poll panel has also sought a report as to why state police had stopped BJP MLA Shikha Chatterjee's car at Dubgram.
The politician is an MLA from Datagram Pool Bari under Jalpaiguri district.
About 250 companies of armed central forces were deployed and some 10,000 state police personnel have been posted to ensure peaceful voting in the state which is currently ruled by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress.
Thirteen extra CAPF companies were put on reserve to be used in case of any exigency, reported Indian news agency UNI.
According to reports, the Election Commission has restricted Bengal minister Udayan Guha to his Dinhata segment after Cooch Behar's BJP contestant Nishith Pramanik appealed to the poll panel against his alleged intimidation.
Guha was seen at the Dinhata police station this morning to complain about an alleged attack on the TMC block president at Jenkins High School in Dinhata.
Though the contest is said to be multi-cornered, real fight is restricted between state ruling Trinamool Congress and key opposition Bharatiya Janata Party which is eyeing to comeback in the centre for a third term.
The other key contenders in the poll are the Left Front and the Congress.
The voting process commenced at 7 AM under a tight security arrangement.
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