Over 81 percent polling in Bengal assembly polls phase five

Over 81 percent of the around 1.24 crore electorate cast their votes on Saturday for 53 constituencies in the fifth and penultimate phase of the West Bengal assembly polls, the Election Commission said.

Polling was held for 31 constituencies in South 24 Parganas and 18 in Hooghly districts besides four in South Kolkata.

The overall voting percentage was 81.66, the EC said in a statement here on Sunday.

The poll percentage in Hooghly was 82.52, in South 24 Parganas 83.14, and in the four Kolkata South constituencies, 65.10.

The highest voter turnout of 89.57 percent was recorded in Patharpratima constituency of South 24 Parganas, while Kolkata Port constituency saw the lowest turnout figure of 63.25.

The star south Kolkata constituency of Bhabanipur, from where chief minister Mamata Banerjee is seeking re-election, polled 66.76 percent. Banerjee is facing a challenge from Left Front backed Congress candidate Deepa Dasmunshi and Bharatiya Janata Party nominee Chandra Kumar Bose.

In Hooghly district, Singur - famous for the Tata Motor's abortive bid of rolling out the Nano small car from a plant there - saw 84.28 percent polling.

In Bhangore of South 24 Paganas district, where former CPI-M leader Abdur Rezzak Mollah is in fray on a Trinamool Congress ticket, saw 87.91 of the voters expressing their choice.

--IANS

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