As it happened: 70% polling in Assam, 80% recorded in West Bengal till 5 pm

Voting is underway for the first phase of the crucial assembly polls in West Bengal and Assam on Monday. While polling is taking place in 65 seats to decide the fate of 539 candidates in Assam, West Bengal is voting on 18 seats with 133 candidates in the fray in the first phase of polls on Monday.

Elections in West Bengal have been spread over six phases, while Assam polls will be held in two phases. In West Bengal, elections will be held on seven dates with the first phase having two polling days – the other being on April 11.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is facing a tough fight from Left-Congress combine and Tarun Gogoi of Congress striving hard to retain power in the key northeastern state.

In the first part of phase one, 133 candidates will try their luck from Left Wing Extremism hit districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura. Out of the 18 constituencies, 13 have been classified as LWE-affected by the Election Commission where voting will end early at 4 pm due to security considerations.

In the remaining five constituencies of Purulia, Manbazar, Kashipur, Para and Raghunathpur voting will go on as usual till 6 pm.

The strength of the West Bengal assembly is 294.

In Assam, the ruling Congress, the BJP-AGP-BPF alliance and the AIUDF are locked in a keen battle where the first phase of elections will be held in 65 of the 126 constituencies.

The first phase will witness mostly direct contest between the ruling Congress and the BJP-AGP-BPF alliance though the AIUDF has put up candidates in 27 constituencies where the fight is expected to be triangular.

The Congress is contesting in all the 65 constituencies in the first phase while the BJP is contesting in 54 and its alliance partners–AGP in 11 and BPF in three, the AIUDF in 27, the CPI and CPM in ten each with CPI(ML)(L) in six along with 60 others of unrecognised parties and 13 independents.

The prominent Congress candidates in the fray are Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi from Titabor, Speaker of the outgoing assembly Pranab Gogoi from Sibsagar and former Union Minister and prominent tea tribe leader Paban Singh Ghatowar.

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