"Hills have flourished more during Mamata's govt": Voters in 5th Phase of West Bengal Elections

Till 3:30 pm on Saturday, West Bengal recorded a voter turnout of 69.40% across 45 constituencies in six districts during the fifth phase of the state Assembly polls, according to the Election Commission (EC).

• Voting for the fifth phase of West Bengal Assembly polls began at 7 am on Saturday amid tight security.

The highest voter turnout till 3.30 pm was observed at the Rajganj Assembly constituency in the Jalpaiguri district with 80.32 per cent. Meanwhile, the lowest turnout was witnessed at the Kurseong Assembly constituency with 53.24 per cent.

• District-wise, Jalpaiguri recorded the highest voter turnout till 3.30 pm with 74.71 per cent.

A minor scuffle between BJP and TMC supporters took place at Bidhannagar.

According to some youth voters in North Bengal, BJP is likely to face a tough fight from TMC. They say, "Hills of Bengal have been more flourished during Mamata's government and giving BJP a chance would be a bad idea as this would lead to dictatorship". "BJP uses Lord Rama as their Brand Ambassador," quoted by the voter.

• Polling is underway in a total of 45 constituencies covering the districts of Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Darjeeling and a segment of Nadia, North 24 Parganas and Purba Bardhaman in the fifth phase. A total of 319 candidates, including 39 women are in the fray in Phase-V.

There are 15,789 polling stations designated for this phase. The security for this phase has been enhanced with the deployment of 1,071 companies of central forces for ensuring a peaceful election.

The voting for the sixth phase will be held on April 22.