Phase V: 78.25% cast vote in Bengal

Kolkata, April 30 

A voter turnout of over 78.25 per cent marked the fifth and penultimate phase of assembly polls in West Bengal where 186 people were arrested in incidents of electoral malpractice and sporadic violence that left at least 15 injured.

Deputy Election Commissioner incharge of West Bengal, Sandeep Saxena, told the media in New Delhi that “based on SMS-based information from polling officers, at 5 PM the voter turnout in 5th phase was 78.25 per cent.”     This is against 82.77 per cent voting recorded during 2011 assembly elections in the three districts of Hoogly, Kolkata South district and South 24-Parganas that went to polls today.

In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the same area had recorded a polling percentage of 80.22 per cent, he said. The final figures of turnout today will be known tomorrow after data compilation. An FIR was registered against Sonali Guha, the Trinamool Congress candidate from Satgachhia assembly constituency, for allegedly intimidating voters by instructing her polling agents to shoo away the voters of opposite candidate. 

In the morning, Guha, who is the Deputy Speaker, was caught on camera allegedly ordering party workers over phone to beat up and drive away CPM polling agents in her constituency. She was also seen involved in a heated exchange of words with central force personnel when asked not to enter booth. — PTI