The impoverished boondocks of Bengal on Thursday dropped many a lessons on democracy for the materially elite Mumbaikars by turning out to vote in overwhelming numbers ignoring a scorching sun.
The six constituencies that went to polls in the second phase in the State recorded an impressive 80 per cent-plus polling till 6 pm, the election office said.While the figure for Malda North was a brisk 80.16 per cent Malda South polled 80.76 per cent. In Balurghat about 82.86 per cent voters turned out to vote whereas in Raiganj remained a little behind recording 79.78 per cent. The figure for strong Congress bastion of Murshidabad was 82.84 whereas Jangipur in the same district witnessed over 77 per cent polling. The figures could go further up as voters were still queuing up in front of the polling booths when reports last came in.
Among those whose fates were sealed on Thursday were President Pranab Mukherjee’s son Abhijeet Mukherjee, from Jangipur seat, that he won by a thin margin of 2,500 in 2012 by-elections. Sitting Raiganj MP and Union Minister Deepa Dasmunshi is pitted against senior CPI(M) leader Md Salim and her brother-in-law Pabitra Ranjan Dasmunshi.
In Malda North Congress MP Mausam Benazir Noor is contesting whereas Union Minister AH Khan Chowdhury is fighting from Malda South.Meanwhile CPI(M) politburo member Biman Bose indicated that his party would go in for a post-poll alliance with “like-minded groups.”Thursday’s polling was conducted amid stray of violence with reports of bombing coming from areas at Jangipur and Malda, EC sources said adding reports had been sought on the incidents.
Speaking to the media on whether the party was planning to strike an alliance with any other outfits he said that “all the talksof alliance would be done after the elections.” The left Front in Bengal is confident of “doing well” he maintained.