85% voter turnout in Phase II

The three districts had recorded 85.33 per cent turnout in the 2006 polls.

In the first phase,the turnout was a little over 83 per cent.

With the completion of the second phase of polling,the fate of several heavyweight candidates has been sealed. They include the Congress’s Abhijit Mukherjee,son of Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee; minister Anisur Rehman; and Trinamool Congress candidates Rukbanur Rehman,brother of Rizwanur Rehman,and former judge Nure Alam Chowdhury.

The polling was by and large peaceful barring a few incidents of clashes but there was no casualty. In the assembly segment of Beldanga in Murshidabad district,Congress workers clashed with CPM workers. In Bharatpur,one person was arrested for model code of conduct violation. At Domkal,two arrests were made after clashes between CPM and Congress workers.

A policeman,Dipak Barua,posted in Beldanga assembly constituency,died of heart attack while on poll duty. Polling oficials said Barua,an Assistant Sub Inspector,was from North 24 parganas.

Voters in 16 booths boycotted polling,said the Cief Electoral Officer. “At most of the places the poll boycott was because of developmental issues related to roads,water and electricity,” said Gupta. “Most of the issues were local and developmental in nature.”

Polling officials ruled out any threat for keeping the voters away from exercising their franchise.

According to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer,the polling boycott was observed at 11 polling booths in three assembly constituencies of Murshidabad and five polling booths in two assembly constituencies in Nadia.

Gupta said in Birbhum there was boycott feared at a few polling booths but officials of the Election Commission intervened and convinced voters to cast their votes.

The Election Commission removed three presiding officers while voting was on,two of them in Ranaghat South after they were found guiding voters in the polling box.