West Bengal, Assam polls - Phase 1: As it happened

Delhi: Over 81 percent voter turnout was recorded in the first part of the first phase Assembly poll in West Bengal on Monday, which passed off without any major incident, according to the Election Commission. In Assam, the voter turnout was nearly 80 percent for 65 seats which will decide the fate of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi of Congress and Sarbananda Sonowal, BJP's chief ministerial candidate.

Here are the updates: 

- WB poll percentage at 5 PM was 80%, again here as well more reports are coming in, says ECI.

- Assam poll percentage at 5 PM was 70%, more reports are trickling in, says ECI.

- Voting was brisk and peaceful in both Assam and WB, no untoward incident happened: Sandeep Saxena, Election Commission.

- 75% voters turnout recorded till 4 PM for first phase of West Bengal polls.

- 66.95% voters turnout recorded till 3 pm for first phase of Assembly polls in Assam 

- A village in Purulia, with a population of over 300, boycotts Assembly Elections.

- 31 per cent voter turnout recorded till 11 am in West Bengal and 19 per cent voter turnout in Assam.

- Assam records 12 per cent polling in first two hours

Around 12 per cent voting was recorded in the first two hours on Monday in the first phase of Assam assembly election for 65 constituencies, said a election commission official.

"We have recorded 12 percent polling till 9.00 a.m. and the polling remained peaceful. There were some snags in some EVMs (electronic voting machines) in some areas but those were sorted out immediately," Additional Chief Election Officer Nitin Khade told IANS.

- Around 23 percent of polling was reported in the first two hours for the first phase of Assembly elections that began at 7.00 am in West Bengal.

"A little over 23 percent turnout has been recorded in the first two hours. There are no reports of violence," said an election commission official.

"An average of 24 percent polling was reported in West Midnapore, 22.5 percent in Bankura and 23.4 percent in Purulia," said the official, adding that a few complaints of electronic voting machine malfunctioning have been received. 

- We'll have to take all possible measures to develop Majuli (Assam) and make it visible in map of world: BJP CM candidate in BJP CM candidate in Assam Sarbananda Sonowal.

- 'I will be the next Chief Minister. I don't think its a tough battle,' says Assam CM Tarun Gogoi after casting his vote at Jorhat.

The 18 poll-going constituencies in West Bengal include- nine in Purulia, three in Bankura and six in West Midnapore.

In 13 Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected constituencies, polling will end two hours early at 4 p.m.

As many as 40,09,171 electors including 16 transgender voters will exercise their franchise in the first stage which has 133 candidates in the fray.

The staggered six-phase elections for 294 assembly seats are spread over seven polling dates and will continue till May 5.

The other six polling dates are April 11, 17, 21, 25, 30 and May 5.

Assam: Voters to seal fate of Tarun Gogoi, Sarbananda Sonowal

Voting began on Monday morning in the first phase of assembly elections in Assam involving 65 constituencies, officials said.Assam involving 65 constituencies, officials said.

A total of 95,11,732 voters, including 45,95,712 females, will decide the fate of 539 candidates, including Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in Titabar constituency, and the BJP's chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal in Majuli.

Balloting will be held at 12,190 polling stations. (With agency inputs)