West Bengal Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Nearly 69 Percent Voter Turnout Till 5 PM
With incidents of violence and allegations of booths capturing during the first two phases, the Phase 3 polling for the five Lok Sabha seats – Balurghat, Malda North, Malda South, Jangipur and Murshidabad – in West Bengal began on Tuesday at 7 am.
Kolkata, April 23: With incidents of violence and allegations of booths capturing during the first two phases making the headlines, the polling for the five Lok Sabha seats for Phase 3 (three) in West Bengal began on Tuesday at 7 am. Nearly 69 percent of voters have exercised their franchise till 5 pm. One person who was standing in a queue to cast his vote was killed in a clash between TMC and Congress workers. The incident took place in Murshidabad. A polling officer was assaulted allegedly by BJP workers. Clashes also erupted between workers of TMC and BJP at various polling booths. For the five seats – Balurghat, Malda North, Malda South, Jangipur and Murshidabad – high-octane campaigning by political parties, including roadshows and speeches by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had paved the way for electorates to decide their representatives. All these seats would see a four-cornered contest between the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the BJP, the Congress and the Left Front.
Since in the second phase, incidents of violence, EVM malfunctions and people being barred to exercise their democratic rights came to the fore, Election Commission had made adequate arrangements and deployed a total of 324 companies of central forces, which will cover over 92 per cent of the polling booths in the five Lok Sabha constituencies, to ensure free and fair polling. West Bengal Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Phase 2 Polling Ends, 75.27% Voter Turnout Recorded.
It has also set up 1,530 booths in Balurghat constituency, 1,713 in Malda North, 1,616 in Malda South, 1,762 in Jangipur and 1,907 stations in Murshidabad for 8,023,852 electorates to decide the fate of 61 candidates in these parliamentary constituencies. Along with the paramilitary security personnel, state police staffs, general election observers and expenditure observers, the apex poll conducting body – for the first time – has deployed a special police observer to ensure the elections in the state are peaceful and fair.
To minimise the chances of poll rigging, the Election Commission has also used VVPAT in all polling booths along with the EVMs for the first time too. Following the violence in Raiganj constituency during the second phase, the poll panel is more vigilant and had ordered the administration to take stringent action against poll violators. West Bengal Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Phase I Voting Concludes, 70% Polling Recorded.
Lok Sabha Constituencies Going for Polls in Phase 3 With Details:
Balurghat (6) Lok Sabha Seat 2014 Results:
Winning MP: Arpita Ghosh (AITC)
Losing Candidate: Bimalendu Sarkar (RSP)
2019 Candidates:
AITC: Arpita Ghosh
BJP: Dr Sukanta Majumdar
RSP: Ranen Barman
INC: Sadik Sarkar
Maldaha Uttar (7) Lok Sabha Seat 2014 Results:
Winning MP: Mausam Noor (INC)
Losing Candidate: Khagen Murmu (CPM)
2019 Candidates:
BJP: Khagen Murmu
AITC: Mausam Noor
CPM: Biswanath Ghosh
INC: Isha Khan Chowdhury
Maldaha Dakshin (8) Lok Sabha Seat 2014 Results:
Winning MP: Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury (INC)
Losing Candidate: Bisnu Pada Roy (BJP)
2019 Candidates:
BJP: Sreerupa Mitra Choudhury
AITC: Dr Moazzem Hossain
CPM: No Candidate
INC: Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury
Jangipur (9) Lok Sabha Seat 2014 Results:
Winning MP: Abhijit Mukherjee (INC)
Losing Candidate: Muzaffar Hossain (CPM)
2019 Candidates:
BJP: Mafuja Khatun
AITC: Khalilur Rehman
CPM: Zulfikar Ali
INC: Abhijit Mukherjee
Murshidabad (11) Lok Sabha Seat 2014 Results:
Winning MP: Badaruddoza Khan (CPM)
Losing Candidate: Abdul Mannan Hossain (INC)
2019 Candidates:
BJP: Humayun Kabir
AITC: Abu Taher Khan
CPM: Badruddaza Khan
INC: Abu Hena
Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Phase 3 Schedule And Dates (Watch Video)
The polling per cent recorded in the first phase for two seats was 69.44 per cent. In the second round of the polls in West Bengal, a total voter turnout of 75.27 per cent was recorded. Now with EC more vigilant and more paramilitary forces deployed in the state, it is expected that the polling in five Lok Sabha constituencies would be peaceful. The results would be declared on May 23.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 23, 2019 07:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).