Polling begins in Bengal, proceeds peacefully

[1]

Women queued up to cast their votes during the first phase of Assembly elections in Siliguri, West Bengal

Long queues of voters were seen at polling booths as 54 constituencies spread across six Northern West Bengal districts went to the hustings in the first phase of state assembly elections on Monday. No untoward incident was reported.

The ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front faces its biggest ever challenge in its 34 years of rule in the state from the Trinamool Congress-Congress combine.

From the picturesque tourist hill station of Darjeeling in the state's northern tip to Malda - famed for its mouth watering mangoes - there was great enthusiasm among the people who lined up attired in their best to choose their representatives from among 364 candidates.

The fate of 11 ministers of the Left Front will be decided during the day by over 97 lakh voters in Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Malda districts.

Reports from Malda said that polling was being conducted under candle-light due to recurrent power cuts in a number of booths.

"But that has not hampered polling," inspector general of police (North Bengal) Randhir Kumar told IANS over phone.

"There has been no untoward incident so far. Polling is proceeding smoothly and peacefully," Kumar said.

There were also complaints of the electronic voting machines not functioning properly in a few pockets of some districts.

Security has been beefed up in all the six districts.

In this phase, the CPI-M is contesting in 32 seats, the Communist Party of India (CPI) (2), Forward Bloc (10), Revolutionary Communist Party (RSP) (9), Socialist Party (1), Trinamool Congress (26), Congress (27), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (1), and Bharatiya Janata Party (49).

The polling for the crucial Assembly polls for 294 seats in the Eastern state will be held in six phases. The next phases will be held April 23 (for 50 constituencies), April 27 (75), May 3 (63), May 7 (38) and May 10 (14).

The votes will be counted May 13.