Kolkata, April 29: Voting is underway in the second phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal. A total of 61.11 percent voting was recorded in the state till 1 pm on Wednesday. The second phase of voting has started on Wednesday.The Trinamool Congress is competing with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Left parties and Congress in the elections. Out of the 142 seats in the seven districts where voting is taking place today, Trinamool had won 123 seats in 2021.
According to the Election Commission of India, the voting percentage varied in the districts till 1 pm. 64.57 percent voting was recorded in Hooghly district, 60.68 percent in Howrah, 60.18 percent in Kolkata North and 57.73 percent in Kolkata South. Voter turnout was 61.41 percent in Nadia district, 59.20 percent in North 24 Parganas, 66.80 percent in East Bardhaman, and 58.58 percent in South 24 Parganas.
Voters have been queuing up at various polling stations across the state since morning to exercise their franchise. The election process is proceeding peacefully, and extensive security arrangements have been made.
Tensions erupted during voting in the Liluah area of ​​the Bally Assembly constituency on Wednesday when an EVM machine at a polling station located at Don Bosco Liluah Sohanlal Vidyalaya experienced a technical glitch. The EVM malfunction disrupted the voting process, sparking anger among voters standing in line. Chaos quickly erupted at the scene, and the crowd began protesting. To control the situation, central security forces resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd, leading to a brief chaos. Two people have been arrested in the incident.
Meanwhile, voting started late in several areas, including Barasat, Habra, Kalyani, and Shantipur, due to technical glitches, forcing voters to wait in long queues.
Meanwhile, reports of tension and clashes have also emerged at some locations. A BJP agent was allegedly assaulted at a booth in Chapra, while the situation in the Bhangar area was reported calm in the morning after a clash between political parties overnight.
The Election Commission has made tight security arrangements across the state, deploying a large number of central forces, and has also issued a toll-free number for any complaints. While technical and local issues were observed at some polling stations, voting is proceeding peacefully in most locations.