The eighth and last phase of voting in the West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 is underway. Stray incidents of violence were reported on Thursday from several areas where voting is underway. However, the overall polling process has been peaceful with 56.19% turnout till 1 pm, EC officials said.
Voting is being held in 11,860 polling stations of 35 constituencies of West Bengal - 11 each in Murshidabad and Birbhum, six in Malda, and seven in north Kolkata. West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and his wife Sudesh Dhankhar cast their votes at a polling booth in Chowringhee, Kolkata.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has sought details of an incident where a bomb was hurled near Mahajati Sadan Auditorium in north Kolkata earlier this morning. BJP candidate from Jorasanko, Meena Devi Purohit, alleged that the bomb was aimed at her car. "They tried to kill me. It is a ploy to scare the voters," Purohit alleged. No one was injured in the incident.
In Kolkata's Beliaghata area, clashes broke out between two groups of people, following which the police resorted to mild lathi-charge to disperse them.
In the Nanoor constituency of Birbhum district, BJP candidate Tarakeshwar Saha reportedly suffered injuries after his vehicle was ransacked.
In the Maniktala constituency of Kolkata, BJP candidate Kalyan Choubey was gheraoed by a group of people during his visit to the polling booths.
Over 84 lakh electors will cast their votes at 11,860 polling stations during this phase. The focus will be on five seats in north Kolkata - Beleghata, Jorasanko, Shyampukur, Maniktala, and Kashipur-Belgachia where a neck-and-neck contest is expected between Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
West Bengal voter turnout till 1 pm - 56.19%
Malda - 58.78%
Murshidabad - 58.89%
Kolkata North - 41.58%
Birbhum - 60.08%
