The Election Commission of India (ECI), with 100% webcasting and an AI-based surveillance system in place, faced a crucial test as large numbers of voters queued up at polling booths.
Isolated Clashes Reported
The voter turnout was highest in Dakshin Dinajpur, followed by Coochebhar, Birbhum, Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri, Paschim Medinipur and Jhargram till 5 pm.
An impressive turnout emerged as the defining feature of the first phase of the West Bengal assembly polls held across 152 constituencies, with an electorate of 3.60 crore, including around 1.75 crore women voters. The ECI deployed a record 2,450 companies of central forces, with more than 8,000 polling stations identified as “highly sensitive”.
High-voltage contests were witnessed in several constituencies, including Nandigram, where Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari is seeking a second term after defeating Mamata Banerjee in 2021. Adhikari is contesting against Pabitra Kar, once his close aide and a former BJP leader who later joined the Trinamool Congress. In the Baharampur seat, Congress veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is contesting assembly polls after more than three decades.
Also Read: EC suspends all polling staff for leaving booth unattended during voting in Bengal’s Pingla
Violence in pockets
In Dakshin Dinajpur’s Kumarganj, a BJP candidate was attacked by miscreants. Subhendu Sarkar was seen fleeing with his security personnel to escape the alleged attackers. Sarkar said, “There was an attempt to attack me. I have informed the ECI. Trinamool workers were not allowing BJP agents inside booths, and I had gone there to intervene.”
In Murshidabad, the convoy of Aam Aadmi Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir was attacked and vandalised. Incidents of clashes and stone pelting were reported from Dubrajpur in Birbhum, in which at least six CAPF jawans were injured, several of whom required hospitalisation.
