New Delhi: Amidst the reports of a few violent incidents, 20 percent voters turned out for the second phase in West Bengal and 16 percent voters exercised their franchise in Assam till 9 am.
Voters of 61 constituencies in Assam and 31 in West Bengal will exercise their franchise today.
A CPI (M) agent was allegedly beaten up by Trinamool Congress workers and obstructed from entering a polling booth, while bombs were found in two bags near another booth in Jamuria Assembly constituency in Burdwan district where polling is underway.
A police official said two CPI(M) agents were obstructed from entering booth numbers 76 and 77 of Jamuria seat, just as polling began at 7 am.
One of the agents sustained head injury after he was beaten up allegedly by Trinamool Congress workers. The injured person was taken to the nearest Primary Health Centre. A Trinamool Congress worker, Sheikh Shamser, was arrested in this connection, the official said.
In another incident, two bags containing bombs were found near booth number 35 under Jamuria seat.
Around 70 lakh people are eligible to cast their votes between 7 am and 6 pm in West Bengal. Electorate in Bankura and Burdwan districts will have a tough time fighting the scorching sun as the districts are reeling under heatwave conditions with temperatures soearing above 40 degree Celsius.
An electorate of 1,04,35,271, comprising 53,91,204 males, 50,44,051 females and 22 others, will exercise their franchise in 12,699 polling stations to decide the fate of 477 male and 48 female candidates in Lower and Central Assam.
More than 50,000 polling personnel have been deployed with security tightened across the constituencies, particularly those in four Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) where NDFB(S) militants are active and in Goalpara district which recently witnessed a bomb blast.
Security has been also stepped up in minority dominated constituencies. A strict vigil is being maintained along the Indo-Bangla border in Dhubri district and Indo-Bhutan border in Baksa district..
