Briefing reporters in New Delhi, the Deputy Election Commissioner, Mr. Vinod Zutshi said that polling exercise was totally peaceful and incident free. He said that 6 cases of poll boycott have also been reported by the people as they registered their protest against negligence in development works in the areas.
Voting was held in 54 constituencies with 364 candidates in the fray including 11 ministers among whom are Ashok Bhattacharya, Kshiti Goswami, Biswanath Chowdhury, Kironmoy Nanda, Narayan Biswas and Srikumar Mukherjee.
There are also 38 women. Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi told reporters in Delhi that turnout was “very encouraging”. The turnout in the last Assembly elections in these districts in 2006 was 82.91 per cent, he said.
South Dinajpur district recorded the highest polling percentage of 78.17, followed by Cooch Behar (77.10), Malda (75.10), Jalpaiguri (72.57), North Dinajpur (72.43) and Darjeeling (71).
Gupta said voters in six booths, including four in Malda district, boycotted the polls demanding better roads, electricity and PMGSY schemes and 10 people were arrested for trying to influence voters.
He said two presiding officers were replaced at Harirampur and Gangarampur assembly constituency booths after complaints from Trinamool Congress that they were talking to political party leaders.
Security personnel baton charged photo journalists when they followed Minister Sailen Sarkar inside a booth at the Malda Women’s College ignoring warnings, officials said. According to Zutshi, 15,000 EVMs were used in the polling out of which 92 had to be replaced.