Though stray violence marked the by-elections to four Assembly seats of Bengal the State witnessed a brisk polling on Saturday.

While Dinhata the home turf of Union Home Minister for State Nisith Pramanik witnessed 70 percent voters’ trun-out till 5 in the evening, down south Shantipur in Nadia district saw about 76 percent voters cast their votes.

While 64 percent voters exercised their franchise in Khardaha in the North 24 Parganas in South 24 Parganas Gosaba constituency about 76 percent voters took part in voting. The poll percentage was likely to go up by a few percentage points sources said.

Elect ions where necessitated in Dinhata and Shantipur because local BJP MLAs --- who are also the MPs from that regions --- resigned their membership from the State Assembly soon after the State polls. The winning Trinamool candidates from Khardaha and Gosaba had died after the elections requiring the elections to be conducted.

The by-elections are seen as a litmus test for new Bengal BJP president Sukanto Mondal and Cooch Behar MP Pramanik who had won the MLA elections defeating TMC leader Udayan Guha by 53 votes.

Bengal Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari however had earlier said that the Bangladesh riots could help the BJP in the by-elections for obvious reasons. Meanwhile stray violence and reports of false voting came from Khardaha and Dinhata the two keenly contested constituencies though the Election Commission sources said that the polls were by far peaceful. Two persons were injured in poll related clashes and had to be hospitalized Bengal police sources  said.