WB By-Election Voting HIGHLIGHTS: 53% Voter Turnout In Bhabanipur, Clash Breaks Out Between TMC & BJP Workers
WB By-Election Voting HIGHLIGHTS: According to report, the EC has declared all 287 booths in Bhabanipur as 'sensitive' and has also deployed a micro-observer each in all the polling stations.
Polling in 3 Assembly Constituencies was held today. Total voter turnout figures at 5 pm - Bhabanipur bypolls 53.32%; Samerganj polls 78.60% and Jangipur polls 76.12%.
Bhabanipur (ANI): As polling for the Bhabanipur by-poll continues, a clash broke out between workers of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The police reached the spot to take control of the situation. Earlier, BJP candidate for Bhabanipur by-poll, Priyanka Tibrewal at polling booth of ward number 72 alleged booth capturing in the area. Speaking to ANI, she said, "Madan Mitra, a TMC MLA, has purposely shut the voting machine here as he wants to capture the booth." "A man confessed to me that TMC paid him Rs 500 to cast vote. He was from Bansdroni. I have informed the authorities," she added.
ISKCON Temple monks cast their votes for Bhabanipur bypoll
Trinamool Congress leader Sovandeb Chatterjee, who had resigned as an MLA from Bhabanipur so that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee could contest from the seat for bypolls, casts his vote.
West Bengal: Voter turnout of 72.45%, 68.17% and 48.08% recorded till 3 pm in Samserganj, Jangipur polls and Bhabanipur bypoll, respectively.
Priyanka Tibrewal, the BJP candidate for Bhabanipur by-poll, alleges that TMC is paying some people to cast vote.
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], September 30 (ANI): Voter turnout continued to be on the lower side in the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency with only 35.97 per cent of people coming out to exercise their franchise till 1 pm on Thursday during the ongoing by-poll here. The figure stood at 21.23 per cent at 11 am. While the turnout in Samserganj constituency was 57.15 per cent, that in Jangipur was 53.78 per cent till 1 am, the Election Commission informed.
West Bengal: Voter turnout of 40.23%, 36.11% and 21.73% were recorded till 11 am in Samserganj, Jangipur polls and Bhabanipur bypoll, respectively
Biju Janata Dal candidate Rudra Pratap Maharathy casts his vote for by-poll in Pipili.
Polling underway in Murshidabad for Jangipur constituency, in compliance with COVID norms.
90-Yr-old woman cast vote in Bhabanipur constituency.
Voting for the by-election to the Pipili assembly seat in Odisha's Puri district began here at 7 am on Thursday amid tight security and strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines, officials said.
Around 2.30 lakh voters will decide the fate of 10 candidates, including the ruling BJD's Rudrapratap Maharathy, Ashrit Pattnaik of the BJP and Congress nominee Bishwokeshan Harichandan Mohapatra.
The administration has deployed close to 2,000 security personnel to ensure peaceful voting in Pipili, which has a history of poll violence.
People were seen standing in queues outside the polling booths, where markings have been drawn on the ground to enable voters to maintain social distancing, the officials said.
Voters are also undergoing thermal screening and provided with hand gloves, as per directions of the Election Commission.
Polling will continue till 6 pm.
The by-election was necessitated following the death of BJD MLA Pradeep Maharathy in October last year.
The by-poll was first scheduled to be held on April 17, but it was countermanded after Congress candidate Ajit Mangaraj died of COVID-19 on April 14.
It was then slated for May 13, but got deferred due to a festival. The by-election was subsequently rescheduled for May 16. However, once again, it was postponed in the wake of the second wave of the pandemic.
Votes will be counted on October 3.
We're hoping for fair elections. Security deployment is very important. I will visit polling booths in the area today. The state government is in fear right now: Priyanka Tibrewal, BJP candidate for Bhabanipur by-poll
While TMC registered a thumping victory in West Bengal Assembly Elections, Mamata Banerjee lost to BJP's Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram. Bhabanipur constituency will today seal the fate of Trinamool Congress supremo and the fiesty CM of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, who is looking to enter the state Assembly before end of her six-month period of chief ministership-without-being-an-MLA.
West Bengal bypolls for 3 seats began at 7 am today.
Polling for the Bhabanipur by-election has begun and will end at 6:30 pm. Mamata Banerjee is contesting from the seat to keep her CM chair in West Bengal
Background
WB By-Election Voting HIGHLIGHTS: With the much crucial Bhabanipur bypolls all set to take place today, the Election Commission has deployed additional 20 companies of central forces, taking the total to 35 companies in the Assembly constituency in Kolkata from where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting against BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal.
Nearly 7 CRPF, 5 CISF, 5 ITBP as well as three to four SSB companies are being deployed in the constituency.
According to report, the EC has declared all 287 booths in Bhabanipur as 'sensitive' and has also deployed a micro-observer each in all the polling stations.
Bypoll to the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency holds significance as this is the only chance for Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo to retain the CM seat of West Bengal.
During the Assembly polls held earlier this year, Banerjee lost to the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhiakri in Nandigram and is still not an elected member of the Legislative body.
Congress party has not fielded any candidate for the bypolls.
The Election Commission has also imposed Section 144 in Bhabanipur. It was implemented from 6:30 pm on Tuesday evening and will continue till September 30.
Apart from Bhabanipur, by-elections are also being held in south Kolkata's Bhabanipur, besides Jangipur and Samserganj seats in Murshidabad district.
The Election Commission has asked the Irrigation Department to be on alert owing to inclement weather conditions and all polling stations were directed to keep pumps ready to drain out floodwaters.
Counting of votes will be held on October 3. Banerjee will fight BJP's Tibrewal, and CPI(M)'s Srijib Biswas in Bhabanipur.
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