over six North Bengal districts of Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Malda and North and South Dinjapur.The polling, which started at 7 this morning, ended at 5 PM. According to the State Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Gupta, 57 EVMs have been replaced at various polling booths due to technical snag. Boycotting of polls on local issues has also been reported in five polling stations in Malda district and one in South Dinajpur district. 364 candidates including 11 ministers of the present government are in the fray for this phase.
Out of 12,131 polling booths, about 1,800 have been identified as sensitive. Inter-state and International borders along North Bengal have been sealed to prevent entry of unwanted persons. 28 general observers, 9 expenditure observers and 3 police observers are constantly monitor the polling.