Kolkata: Over 74 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise till 3 PM in the sixth and last phase of Assembly election in West Bengal today. While East Midnapore district recorded 75.19 per cent polling, 72.31 per cent votes were cast in Cooch Behar. The overall average till 3 PM was 74.15 per cent.
For the first time since Independence, 9,776 residents of border enclaves in Cooch Behar are exercising their franchise, made possible by the formal inclusion of the enclaves in the Indian territory last year.
Among them was 103-year-old Asgar Ali who came along with family members of three generations to cast ballots for the first time.
An electorate of over 58 lakh is eligible to cast ballots at 6,774 polling stations till 6 PM in 25 constituencies. In all 170 candidates, including 18 women, are in the fray in this phase.
The poll panel has deployed 361 companies of central forces who are assisted by a contingent of 12,000 state police personnel. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been promulgated today to curb any unlawful assembly.
Members of the Trinamool Congress have lodged a complaint against Congress activists for assembling with arms near booth number 236 and jamming booth numbers 14, 107 and 249 of Moyna constituency in East Midnapore district. Security personnel arrested five persons on the charge of giving food to voters near booth no 231 at Gobra in Moyna constituency.
The police said two groups belonging to TMC and Congress were allegedly distributing food among voters. Securitymen chased them and most of them fled but the five were caught.
The CPI-M claimed that it could not put up polling agents in 52 booths in Nandigram, to which TMC MP Suvendu Adhikari replied, “We cannot be blamed for that”.
