23 pc turnout till 9 AM in West Bengal, 20 per cent in Assam

Amid a multi-layered security cover, more than 23 per cent voters exercised their franchise till 9 AM in 18 constituencies of left-wing extremism-affected areas in the first phase of West Bengal Assembly election held today.

Election Commission officials said the polling percentage was 23.4 per cent in the three districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura during the first two hours.

There had been no reports of any violence in the districts and polling process was going on smoothly even in the Maoist-hit areas, they said.

Phase 1 of the election will decide the fate of 133 candidates, including 11 women, fighting from the 18 constituencies.

Out of them, 13 seats have been classified as lWE-affected areas where voting will end early at 4 pm due to security considerations.

In the remaining five constituencies of Purulia, Manbazar, Kashipur, Para and Raghunathpur voting will go on for two extra hours till 6 pm.

The total number of voters in the constituencies are a little over 40 lakh (40,09,171) out of which 20,47,202 are men.

The third gender category list shows only a handful of 16 voters.

There are 4,945 polling stations out of which 1,962 have been classified as critical ones where extra caution is being taken.

Voter Verifiable Audit Trails (VVAT) are made available in 562 polling stations.

Unlike in 2011 Assembly polls where the Trinamool Congress was its partner, Congress this time has forged an alliance with the left parties.

All the three - Trinamool, left-Congress alliance and BJP - have fielded candidates in all the 18 seats.

Gobordhan Bagdi is the only one fighting from two seats, Para and Raghunathpur, on a JMM ticket.

In all the left-wing extremism affected polling stations, the EC has decided to deploy a minimum of one section of force, which has around ten security personnel.

A minimum of three security layers including sector forces and a quick response team have been arranged.

The central forces are present in every polling booth and depending on the requirement the deployment of forces is being increased.

For aerial surveillance, two choppers have been conducting regular sorties to trace any undesirable activity.

Meanwhile, three faulty EVMs were replaced in Taldangra seat in Bankura district, election officials said. While the fault was detected in two EVMs before voting began, and that of another was spotted just after the polling started.

20 per cent votes cast in first couple of hours in Assam

Guwahati:  At least 20 per cent voters in Assam exercised their franchise during the initial hours of polling to decide the fate of 539 contestants in 65 constituencies in the first phase of Assembly election held today amid tight security.

 Voters, particularly women and first timers, were seen queuing at polling booths from 5 AM to participate in the democratic process where the ruling Congress, the BJP-AGP-BPF alliance and the AIUDF are locked in a keen battle.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, along with his wife Dolly Gogoi, son and MP Gaurav Gogoi and brother Deep Gogoi, cast his ballot at the polling station in Debicharan Baruah Girls High School in Jorhat.

There were reports of malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in some polling centres due to which voting was affected for some time but they were swifty replaced, election office said.

At least 20 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the first two hours, it said.

Altogether 12,190 polling stations been set up in the 65 constituencies for the 95,11,732 voters, including 45,95,712 women, manned by over 48,000 polling personnel.

 Security is at its highest in the state with the Indo-Bangla border along Barak Valley's Karimganj district sealed and 535 companies of security forces of central and state police deployed in the 65 constituencies spread across Upper Assam, two hill districts, northern bank and Barak Valley.

 For today's first phase of polling Congress is contesting in all the 65 constituencies, BJP in 54 and its alliance partners--AGP in 11 and BPF in three, AIUDF in 27, CPI and CPM in ten each with CPI(Ml)(l) in six along with 60 others of unrecognised parties and 13 Independents.

 Prominent Congress contestants are Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Assembly Speaker Pranab Gogoi, former Union Minister and prominent tea tribe leader Paban Singh Ghatowar, Assam Ministers Gautam Roy, Sarat Barkotoky, Ajanta Neog, Khorsingh Engti, Siddeque Ahmed, Bismita Gogoi, Sumitra Patir and Girindra Malik, among others.

 The BJP's star candidates are Union minister and party's Chief Minister candidate Sarbananda Sonowal, Jorhat MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, MlAs Prashanta Phukan, Dilip Paul, Hiten Goswami, Padma Hazarika and Naba Doley, besides former UlFA militant Kushal Duwari.

 AGP's prominent nominees are its working president Atul Bora and sitting MlAs Keshab Mahanta and Utpal Dutta along with former minister Pradip Hazarika.

The remaining 61 constituencies will go to polls on April 11 in the second phase.