Election / 77.68% Polling in third phase of assembly elections in Bengal, 82.29% in Assam

New Delhi: After a day of turmoil, voting for the third phase of the tightly contested West Bengal assembly elections ended on Tuesday evening with a voter turnout of 77.68 per cent.

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), some instances of violence and brawls were reported in a few areas and some arrests have been made.

"One incident happened in Khanakul where a candidate went to different polling stations. There was an altercation between two groups, and four were arrested. In Arambagh, another altercation took place after a candidate reached Arandi and five others were arrested,"

The Hooghly district and the Goghat constituency recorded the highest turnout of voters with 79.89 per cent and 84.71 per cent respectively. The districts of Howrah and South 24 Parganas registered a turnout of 77.92 per cent and 76.94 per cent respectively.

Ahead of the third phase, three EVMs and four VVPATs were found in the residence of TMC leader Gautam Ghosh. Following this, the sector officer, Tapan Kumar Sarkar, was suspended along with two assistant sector officers, Samjit Majumdar and Mithun Chakraborty. The sector police officer was also suspended and 3 home guards were demobilised.

Assam recorded a voter turnout of more than 80 per cent in the third and final phase of polling on Tuesday, according to the latest figures from the Election Commission.

According to EC data, the voter turnout was 82.29 per cent at 7.11 pm. The polling was scheduled to end at 7 pm. The third phase of election in the tea-garden state was held in 40 constituencies of 12 districts in the state.

The fate of 337 candidates, including state minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Hemanta Biswa Sarma in the Jalukbari constituency, was to be decided in this phase of polling.

Leaders of the BJP-led alliance and that led by Congress have expressed confidence about their victory in the polls.

The first phase, March 27, witnessed a voter turnout of nearly 77 per cent, while a voter turnout of nearly 74.76 per cent was recorded in the second phase polling held on April 1. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.