West Bengal records 79.70 pc poll in 2nd phase

West Bengal today recorded 79.70 per cent voting in the second phase of assembly polls in 56 constituencies which the Election Commission said was "by and large" peaceful, barring a clash between workers of rival political parties.
The Commission said the final figure would increase as the poll percentage was based on text messages sent by polling officials from the state to Commission headquarters here at 5 pm.
Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena told a press conference here that the polling percentage in the 56 assembly constituencies which went to poll today was 86.51 per cent in 2011 assembly elections and 82.70 per cent in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

There were no poll violence-related deaths but a polling officer, Gopi Chakravarty, died of heart attack in Alipurduar constituency.
"There were reports of disruption of polling due to EVM errors. The EVMs were replaced quickly...In the beginning hours, near polling station 78 of Bolpur constituency, there was a clash between (workers of) two parties in which three people were hurt," the Deputy EC said.
In another incident, a presiding officer of a polling station was replaced and disciplinary proceedings initiated after he was found helping a voter near a voting compartment.
In the run up to the second phase of elections, authorities executed 15,623 non-bailable warrants to keep trouble-makers under check. Similarly, over 5000 people were kept under watch to ensure they did not influence voters.