Kolkata: An approximate 64 per cent of the total 1.13 crore electorate in West Bengal on Saturday cast their votes in four districts in the second phase of the Assembly elections for 66 seats amidst the tight security.
The polling was peaceful with no major incident reported from East Midnapore, Howrah, Hooghly and Nadia districts where long queues of voters were seen after 1700 hrs, IST.
The voters were issued booth slips for exercising their rights, the police said. "The percentage of voting is likely to rise with receipt of final reports," Election department sources said.
Reports from the districts said that while East Midnapore recorded 60 per cent polling, it was 70 per cent in Howrah, 65 per cent in Nadia and 61 per cent in Hooghly.
Polling, which started on a dull note, picked up as the day advanced and in many polling stations women outnumbered men.
Faulty EVMs delayed commencement of voting in about a dozen booths in East Midnapore, which included Mugberia where Fisheries Minister Kiranmoy Nanda is contesting and Egra where Parliamentary Affairs Minister Probodh Chandra Sinha is seeking re-election.
Altogether 348 aspirants, including 28 women are in the fray.
Ministers in the fray from the four districts are: Kiranmay Nanda and Prabodh Chandra Sinha (East Midnapur), Naren Sarkar (Nadia), Pratim Chatterjee and Naren Dey (Hooghly), Pratyush Mukhopadhyay (Howrah).
Prominent opposition candidates are West Bengal Legislative Congress Party Chief Whip, Asit Mitra (Kalyanpur), JD(U) state president Amitabha Dutta (Howrah South) and Samjwadi Party state president Bijay Upadhyay (Howrah South)-- all in Howrah district.
The district's border with Orissa had been sealed. Reports of delay in commencement of voting due to faulty EVM were received from about a dozen booths in East Midnapur.
They include, Mugberia where state Fisheries Minister Kiranmoy Nanda is contesting and Egra where Parliamentary Affaris minister Probodh Chandra Sinha is seeking re-election.
In Nadia 15 per cent votes were cast till 0900 hours IST. Delay in polling due to faulty EVMs were reported from Krishnagar, Ranaghat, Chapra and Haringhata.
A strict vigil was maintained in all booths with only voters with proper identity papers being allowed inside.
Reports of over an hour's delay in commencement of polling were also received from Krishnaganj in Khankul constituency and Chinsurah in Hooghly district.
In Gopinathpur in Haripal constituency polling was held up for one hour as the presiding officer fell ill, official sources said.
District Magistrate, Vinod Kumar, who is also the returning officer, said 12.5 per cent votes had been cast till 0930 hours IST.
A total of 770 booths in four constituencies in Arambangh sub-division have been declared 'hyper senstive'.
Altogether 1,500 cycle messengers have been debarred from entering these booths on the orders of the Election Observer, N Sivasailam, on Friday night.
Congress candidate from Champdani has alleged that about 20-22 voters in his constituency were not allowed to vote despite having EPIC.
CPI(M) candidate Srutinath Praharaj from Uttarpara complained that he had been prevented from entering a booth in his constituency.
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