 "Nearly 80 % polling in Bengal")
According to the Election Commission, the overall voting percentage in nine constituencies spread over the districts of Howrah, Hooghly, Barddhaman and Birbhum districts was around 80% till 5 pm. Hooghly, Bolpur, Arambagh, Barddhaman East, Barddhaman-Durgapur, Birbhum and Uluberia recorded about 82% polling, while about 72% voters cast their votes in Howrah and Srerampore. However, it may go up as polling was still being conducted in some of the booths.
Although the EC said the polling was peaceful, reports of sporadic violence kept pouring in through out the day leaving several injured. Basirhat BJP candidate Shamik Bhattacharya was allegedly manhandled by Trinamool Congress supoorters. CPI-M and Congress too alleged booth capturing by TMC in some areas of Barddhaman and Hooghly. While TMC has denied all allegations, opposition parties have complained to the poll panel demanding repolling in some booths.
Of the nine seats that went to poll today, five were bagged by TMC and CPI-M won the rest four in 2009.
The prominent candidates in the fray are BJP's Bappi Lahiri in Serampore, journalist-turned-politician Chandan Mitra in Hooghly and actor George Baker in Howrah, who are carrying the party's hopes to score big for the first time in the state.