Amid sporadic violence, brisk polling in Bengal (Third Lead)

Amid allegations by the BJP and the CPI-M of attacks by Trinamool Congress goons, brisk polling was reported for the assembly by-elections in West Bengal Saturday.

"About 50 percent voting in Basirhat (South) and 31 percent from Chowringhee was reported till 1 p.m.," an Election Commission official said.

Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) have accused the ruling Trinamool of attacking their workers and resorting to bogus voting in a few booths at Chowringhee.

BJP's Chowringhee candidate Ritesh Tiwari alleged that some of his party workers were attacked when they tried to stop Trinamool supporters from casting bogus votes in two booths.

Amit Ray Chaudhury, officer on special duty with the chief electoral officer, said the poll panel has taken suo motu cognisance of the scuffle and directed the district election officer to file a report.

CPI-M candidate Faiyaz Ahmed Khan too accused Trinamool activists of attacking a party camp resulting in injuries to at least six workers, including two women.

"Six of our workers, including two women, were injured when Trinamool goons attacked our camp office," Khan said, adding the party was approaching the poll panel with a complaint.

The Chowringhee by-poll follows the resignation of Trinamool Congress legislator Sikha Mitra, who won the 2011 election but has quit the party. Then, Trinamool had joined hands with the Congress for the poll battle.

A total of 200,256 electors spread across 222 polling stations have to choose from nine candidates in Chowringhee -- Trinamool's Nayna Bandyopadhyay, BJP's Ritesh Tiwari, Congress' Santosh K. Pathak, CPI-M's Faiyaz Ahmad Khan and five independents.

The death of CPI-M legislator Narayan Mukherjee necessitated polling in Basirhat (South), which came into being in 2011. As many as 235,843 people are eligible to vote here in 286 polling stations.

The five-cornered contest pits CPI-M's Mrinal Chakraborty against former Indian football captain and Trinamool contestant Dipendu Biswas, Congress' Asit Majumdar and BJP's Samik Bhattacharya. There is also a Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist (SUCI-C) candidate.

The elections are being held in the lengthening shadow of the Saradha chit fund scam probe in which a Trinamool MP and another party leader are behind bars, while the Central Bureau of Investigation and other central agencies have interrogated other party MPs and leaders.

The BJP's poll plank in Basirhat is infiltration from Bangladesh and the party fielded its top leaders, including national president Amit Shah, during the campaign. The CPI-M and the Congress relied on door-to-door campaigning and holding small meetings.

Trinamool deployed a host of ministers and senior leaders, as also several Bengali filmstars to woo the voters. However, its supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stayed away from campaigning.