Lok Sabha polls: Around 17 per cent turnout till 9 am in Bengal, Babul Supriyo's car vandalised
Kolkata, Apr 29 (UNI): An estimated 17 per cent of 1,34,56,491 electorate exercised their franchise inthe first two hours this morning to decide the fate of 68 candidates in the fourth of the seven-phase election to eight South Bengal Lok Sabha seats of Baharampur, Krishnanagar, Ranaghat, Bardhaman Purba, Bardhaman–Durgapur, Asansol, Bolpur and Birbhum.
Polling started at 7 am and it will continue till 6 pm.
Voters were witnessed reaching their respective booths well before the start of the polling. Long queues were witnessed at several booths at 6:30 pm.
Due to the severe heatwave conditions people were trying to cast their votes early.
While Baharampore recorded around 18.10 per cent polling, Krishnagar 17.27 per cent, Ranaghat 16.94 per cent, Bardhaman East 18.24 per cent, Bardhaman-Durgapur 16.12 per cent, Asansol 17.50 per cent, Bolpur 17.09 per cent and Birbhum 13.61 per cent in the first two hours.
More than 1076 polling-related complaints were received during this period of which 1006 have already been disposed of, official sources said.
Meanwhile, the EC sought report as to what Union Minister and Asansol BJP candidate Babul Supriyo was doing at Baraboni booth. Babul faced protest demonstration as he challenged alleged false voting at the booth.
His car was vansalised and windshield broken. Babul alleged TMC goons perpetrated this and said the BJP agents were not prevented from entering the booth.
Reports of clashed between TMC workers and security personnel poured in from polling booth number 199 in Asansol.
A TMC polling agent said, '' No BJP polling agent was present at the booth. ''
A report said TMC strongman and Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal alias Kesto has been under house surveillance. Security men have been keeping watch around his home and video photography showed he was not seen outside so far when report came in at 10 am.
Birbhum BJP candiadate Doodh Kumar Mondal is also under the Commission scanner as he was seen using mobile inside a booth.
Presiding officer at Mayureswar booth was removed after this incident. Bombswere found at Santipur in Nadia district which was later defused.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), Indian National Congress (INC) and the Left Front fielded their candidates in all the eight constituencies.
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