West Bengal assembly election live: 76.07 per cent voter turnout recorded till 5:30 pm

Pic Courtesy: ANI

New Delhi: Amid a raging wave of COVID-19, over 84 lakh voters in West Bengal will decide the political fate of 283 candidates on Thursday (April 29), when 35 assembly constituencies go to polls in the eighth and final phase.

Security measures have been heightened in view of the violence in the previous phases, particularly the death of five people in Cooch Behar in the fourth round of polling on April 10, an Election Commission official said according to news agency PTI.

The poll panel has decided to deploy at least 641 companies of central forces, including 224 in Birbhum district, in the eighth phase of the West Bengal elections to ensure free and fair voting, he said.

Voting will be held at 11,860 polling stations spread over 11 assembly constituencies each in Murshidabad and Birbhum, six in Malda and seven in Kolkata.

29 April 2021

17:50 IST

76.07 per cent voter turnout recorded till 5:30 pm in last phase of West Bengal polls.

15:43 IST

68.46% voter turnout recorded till 3.30 pm in West Bengal Assembly elections.

15:42 IST

Congress MP and party's state chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury cast his vote at a polling booth in Murshidabad.

14:27 IST

56.19 per cent voter turnout recorded till 1 pm in 35 assembly seats where polling is underway in final phase.

12:10 IST

37.80 per cent voter turnout recorded till 11 am in 35 assembly seats where polling is underway in final phase.

11:08 IST

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and his wife Sudesh Dhankhar cast their votes at a polling booth in Chowringhee, Kolkata.

09:49 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called upon people of West Bengal to cast their votes to enrich the festival of democracy while following COVID-19 protocols.

09:26 IST

A bomb was hurled near Mahajati Sadan Auditorium in north Kolkata today. Election Commission has sought details of the incident. Details awaited.

09:17 IST

BJP candidate from Malda, Gopal Chandra Saha cast his vote at a polling booth in the constituency. He says, "There was a public rally on April 18 in Sahapur where I was shot & taken to hospital. It was done by either TMC or Congress goons. There is 'jungle raj' here".

08:35 IST

Specially abled voters cast their votes at a polling booth in Bolpur, Birbhum.

West Bengal: Specially abled voters cast their votes at a polling booth in Bolpur, Birbhum. #WestBengalPolls pic.twitter.com/GtlZReAu8f

— ANI (@ANI) April 29, 2021

07:57 IST

Voting began with a half an hour delay due to a glitch in the EVM, at polling booth number 188 in Birbhum.

07:50 IST

Actor and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty cast his vote for the final phase of West Bengal Polls, at a polling station in Kashipur-Belgachia, North Kolkata.

News agency ANI quoted him saying, "I had never voted so peacefully ever before. I must congratulate all the security personnel."

07:09 IST

Voters form queues outside polling booth number 23/24 in Malda for the final phase of the WB Assembly elections.

07:04 IST

Voters queue up outside a polling booth in Shantiniketan, Bolpur; polling for the eighth and last phase of West Bengal Polls.

Voters queue up outside a polling booth in Shantiniketan, Bolpur; polling for the eighth and last phase of #WestBengalPolls will commence at 7 am today. pic.twitter.com/jIBvZqvt8c

— ANI (@ANI) April 29, 2021

07:03 IST

Voting for the eighth and final phase of West Bengal Elections 2021 begins; 35 seats in the fray.