Despite the sweltering heat, brisk polling was recorded with over 63 percent of the electorate exercising their franchise in the first six hours of voting in 18 constituencies in the first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections on Monday.
There will be seven days of polling for 294 assembly seats. The last day of polling is scheduled on May 5.
Polling booths opened amid tight security at 7 a.m. in the 18 constituencies -- nine in Purulia district, three in Bankura district and six in West Midnapore district.
For the first phase of elections, there are 40,09,171 registered voters and 133 candidates.
Braving the scorching sun, a large number of people queued up outside the polling booths.
"An average of 63.15 percent turnout was recorded till 1 pm. There are no reports of violence. Polling so far has been very peaceful," said an election commission official.
"Around 65.45 percent polling was reported in West Midnapore, 62.15 percent in Bankura and 61.95 percent in Purulia," he said.
The commission received over 100 complaints, mostly about malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs), while a presiding officer in a booth in Purulia was changed following an allegation of trying to influence voters.
Meanwhile, a section of voters in Piyalsole village under Manbazar constituency in Purulia boycotted voting.
Complaining of lack of development in the area, the villagers said the decision to boycott the polls was taken in advance.
"From hospital to school to even the market, everything is in Manbazar. The road here is virtually non-existent which makes commuting to Manbazar difficult," said one of the villagers, adding that most of them have to walk several km to fetch drinking water.
Among major candidates in the fray are state Minister Sukumar Hansda of the Trinamool from Jhargram and CPI-M's Pulin Bihari Baske contesting from Gopiballavpur.
The Congress and the left Front accused Trinamool Congress activists of attempting to influence and intimidate voters in several booths across the three districts, a charge denied by the ruling party.
The Trinamool, the Congress-left Front combine and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are in the fray for the 18 constituencies.
A multi-layered security ring has been put in place around the constituencies.
At least 10 personnel of a central paramilitary force have been deployed to secure each polling station in 13 left Wing Extremism-(lWE)-affected constituencies where polling will end two hours earlier, at 4 p.m, than in other areas.
In five other constituencies - Purulia, Manbazar, Kashipur, Para and Raghunathpur (all in Purulia district) - voting will continue up to 6 p.m.
Besides helicopters carrying out sorties, an air-ambulance and quick response teams are on standby.
There are 4,945 polling stations out of which 1,962 have been classified as critical where special security measures have been taken.
Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) have been made available in 562 polling stations.
Under VVPAT, a printer-like apparatus is linked to the EVM. When a vote is cast, a receipt is generated showing the serial number, name and symbol of the candidate. It confirms the vote and the voter can verify the details.
Assam records 23 percent polling in four hours
Guwahati: Nearly a quarter of Assam's electorate on Monday voted in the first four hours of the first round of assembly elections to pick 65 legislators, officials said.
About 23 percentage of the 9.5 million voters had exercised their franchise from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., the officials said.
The 65 constituencies which saw polling on Monday are mainly located in the tea belt areas, north of the Brahmaputra river and in the Barak Valley of Assam.
They include three seats reserved for Dalits and 10 for tribals.
"The polling has been peaceful," Additional Chief Electoral Officer Nitin Khade told IANS.
The second and final round of the election to pick a 126-member Assam assembly will take place on April 11.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's Titabar constituency voted on Monday. He urged people to vote in large numbers.
"The resilience of our democratic polity will be in evidence once again as people come out to exercise their right to vote," Gogoi told the media after casting his vote.
The fate of Bharatiya Janata Party's chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal, who is seeking election from Majuli, will be decided on Monday too.
Sonowal said the BJP would win a majority of the seats in the first phase.
"We can see that people are craving for a change in the state. I hope they will vote for us for a change," he said outside a polling station at Gormur in Majuli.
On Monday, there are 539 candidates, 95,11,732 registered voters and 12,190 polling stations spread across 17 districts.
Of the 12,190, 78 are all-women polling stations -- overseen only by women officials.
There are also 134 "model" polling stations which have a medical team and an eatery and where the elder voter will be felicitated in a traditional manner. The eldest voter will also plant a tree.