Kolkata: Election Commission declared 83 per cent turnout in second phase of West Bengal assembly polls in 50 Assembly constituencies spread over three districts of West Bengal on Saturday. Birbhum district recorded the highest turnout at 54 per cent, closely followed by Nadia with 53 per cent and Murshidabad with 52 per cent.
Two presiding officers were removed following allegation of influencing voters and an election agent of CPM detained for interrogation after postal ballots were recovered from him, the sources said.
The presiding officer of booth number 2 of Bharatpur assembly constituency in Murshidabad and a presiding officer of booth number 101 in Ranaghat (South) constituency in Nadia district were removed and replaced by new presiding officers, Additional Chief Electoral Officer N K Sahana said.
A CPM election agent in Palashipara Assembly constituency in Nadia district was detained by the police after 25 postal ballot papers were recovered from him, an election commission official said.
An electorate of 93.33 lakh will decide the fate of 293 candidates in the second phase of the polls.
Prominent candidates whose fate will be decided are Abhijit Mukherjee, son of Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee contesting from Nalhati, former high court judge Nure Alam Chowdhury, a Trinamool Congress candidate contesting from Murarai, Rukbanur Rahman, brother of late computer graphics teacher Rizwanur Rahman from the Chapra constituency, besides Panchayat minister and CPM leader Anisur Rahaman.
The BJP has fielded candidates in all seats, followed by CPM in 31, Trinamool Congress in 29, BSP in 27 and Congress in 21 seats.
Security arrangements are in place for peaceful polling in 22 constituencies in Murshidabad, 17 in Nadia and 11 in Birbhum having a total of 11,531 polling stations. Besides the police, 4800 central security personnel have been deployed.
The six-phase election will end on May 10. PAGE_BREAKPAGE_BREAK
Comments
0 comment