In the first two hours of polling in 152 Assembly constituencies across 16 districts of West Bengal, the voting process remained largely peaceful, with a voter turnout of 18.76% by 9 a.m. The district with the highest voting percentage was West Midnapore at 20.51%, while Malda recorded the lowest at 16.76%, according to the Chief Electoral Officer’s office.
In a minority-dominated area in Murshidabad district, tension arose at a polling booth in the Raninagar Assembly constituency. The Congress candidate alleged that Trinamool Congress supporters had evicted their polling agent, leading to confrontations.
Meanwhile, in Nandigram and Haldia constituencies in East Midnapore district, the Trinamool Congress accused police officers of harassing their supporters on the instructions of the Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari. Despite scattered protests, Adhikari emphasized that the polling process was mostly peaceful in both East and West Midnapore districts.
Allegations of tension were dismissed by Adhikari as baseless, attributing them to the fear of defeat. However, he highlighted issues in Pingla, West Midnapore, due to the conduct of a local police officer, calling for his suspension.
