 "Assembly polls: 25% polling recorded in Assam, 20% in West Bengal")
At least 25% of the 1,04,35,271 electorate exercised their franchise amidst tight security during the first three hours of polling in the second and final phase of Assembly elections in Assam today.
Voters, particularly women and first time voters, stood in queues at the polling booths two hours ahead of the commencement of polling at 7 a.m for the remaining 61 seats.
Ruling Congress, the BJP-AGP-BPF alliance and the AIUDF are locked in a keen battle along with other political party contestants and Independents.
There were reports of malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in some polling centres which disrupted voting for some time but the election process continued uninterrupted once they were replaced, election office said.
Former two-time Chief Minister and Asom Gana Parishad leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta along with his wife former MP Dr Jayashree Mahanta voted in Barhampur and AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal, who claims he will be the "king-maker" in the formation of the next government, also cast his vote.
No untoward incident has been reported so far from the constituencies where intense security arrangements have been put in place, particularly in Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) where NDFB(S) militants are active and in Goalpara Election district which recently witnessed a bomb blast incident that killed three persons.
Today's polling will decide the political fate of 525 contestants in 61 of the 126 Assam Assembly constituencies.
The first phase of polling in the state on April 4 had witnessed an 82.20% voter turnout in 65 Assembly constituencies.
In West Bengal, amid allegations of violence and voter intimidation, nearly 20% of polling was recorded in the first two hours in 31 constituencies spread over three districts in part two of the opening phase of the assembly elections.
Polling began at 7 a.m. in 31 constituencies of which 13 are in West Midnapore and nine each in Bankura and Burdwan districts.
"Till 9 a.m., 19.95% polling has been recorded. The turnout in West Midnapore is 23.97%, 16.92% in Bankura and 18.95% in Burdwan," said an Election Commission official.
While the official claimed the poll to be peaceful so far, there were reports of violence from several places.
Several crude bombs, kept in a bag were recovered from near a booth in Jamuria in Asansol of Burdwan district, while a CPI(M) polling agent had to be hospitalised after being attacked at a polling booth in Chandrakona in West Midnapore.
Both the Congress and CPI(M) claimed several of their polling agents were being driven out and voters were prevented from voting by Trinamool Congress.
"Since last night, Trinamool goons have been on the prowl, intimidating voters and attacking polling agents. Such is the condition that we are not getting polling agents. There has been widespread violence, voter intimidation, polling is far from peaceful in Sabang," Trinamool leader and former state minister Manas Bhuniya said.
CPI-M state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra too said voters were being prevented from entering booths in his constituency Narayangarh.
An electorate of nearly 70 lakh (69,79,788), including 33,68,311 females and 50 third genders, are eligible to choose their representatives from a field of 163 candidates. Twenty one of the contestants are women.
Voting is being held across 8,465 polling stations including two auxiliary stations amid high security.
The Trinamool, the LF-Congress combine and the BJP are locking horns in all the seats.
Among the LF constituents, the CPI-M has put up 19 candidates, followed by the Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party, All India Forward Bloc and the Democratic Socialist Party (Prabodh Chandra) in one each. The Congress is in the race in eight constituencies.
Other outfits like Bahujan Samaj party and the Shiv Sena have also fielded a number of candidates.
In the 2011 assembly polls, the Trinamool Congress had bagged 17 and its then ally Congress bagged three seats. The Left Front, then in power, won the remaining 11.
The star candidates in this round include CPI(M) state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra (Narayangarh), state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh (Kharagpur Sadar), former Pradesh Congress president Manas Bhunia (Sabang) and 91 year old Congress nominee Gyan Singh Sohanpal (Kharagpur Sadar).
Providing the glam touch is Bengali film actor Soham Chakraborty, who has thrown his hat into the ring from Bankura district's Barjora constituency on a Trinamool ticket.
Voters in 18 constituencies -- six in West Midnapore, nine in Purulia and three in Bankura -- exercised their franchise on the first polling day on April 4. That was part one of the first phase.
Polling for the remaining phases will be held on April 17, 21, 25, 30 and May 5..