West Bengal: 6-phase poll ends with 84 per cent voting

A month-long six-phase West Bengal Assembly election, which had started on April 4, was brought to an end on Thursday with the sixth and final phase polling. A total of 25 constituencies in the districts of East Midnapore and Cooch Behar went to polls in the sixth phase. The average voter turnout till 5 pm in the two districts was over 84 per cent. However, the final voter turnout will increase further as the voting continued till 6 pm. The first five phases having six polling dates were held between April 4 and 30. Chief electoral officer (CEO) in West Bengal Sunil Gupta said there were no major incidents of violence and no vitiation of the poll process. However, there were two incidents of poll boycotting in the district of East Midnapore. The Election Commission received total 1,526 complaints till 6 pm, which was less compared to previous phases, and disposed 1,486 of such complaints. On Thursday, as many as 30 arrests were made and 2 presiding officers were removed.

“Today there was two poll boycotting reported from polling station number 69 and 70 in East Midnapore district’s Moyna. The reason for poll boycotting was some local government issues. Besides that, there was no major incident of violence and the polling was peaceful. During poll hours, we replaced two presiding officers — one in Dinhata Assembly constituency and another in Natabari Assembly constituency in Cooch Behar. During poll hours, we replaced 12 EVMs and 8 VVPATs,” Mr Gupta said.

The CEO also informed that there was tremendous enthusiasm among the first-time voters in enclaves in Cooch Behar, which registered over 85 per cent voter turnout. “There was a festive kind of atmosphere in the enclaves as the people living there exercised their franchise for the first time,” Mr Gupta added. Total 9,776 people were enrolled as voters in the enclaves.

Total 58,04,019 voters, including 27,80,150 women, on Thursday exercised their franchise in 6,774 polling stations to decide the fate of 170 candidates, including 18 women. The voter turnout in the districts of East Midnapore and Cooch Behar till 5 pm was 85.09 and 82.71 per cent. In the 2011 Assembly elections, the final voter turnout in the aforementioned districts was 90.08 and 85.66 per cent, respectively.

ADG (law and order) in West Bengal Anuj Sharma said that there were 6 specific cases reported during poll hours. “Total 30 arrests were made in the two districts today. Out of 30 arrests, 29 were preventive arrests,” Mr Sharma said. He further informed that only state police personnel would curb the post poll violence and only 78 companies of the Central armed forces would remain in the state to guard the strong rooms where EVMs were stored.

According to political parties, the six-phase Assembly election was by and large peaceful. The poll panel received total 54,352 complaints in the month-long Assembly election and disposed of 53,565 such complaints. Only one death was reported during poll hours in the month-long Assembly election. The counting of votes will be held on May 19.