Kolkata wears forlorn look on poll day, less traffic on street

Kolkata: The streets of south Kolkata on Saturday wore a deserted look as public transport were mostly off the roads, and shops and markets remained closed in the metropolis during the sixth and penultimate phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections here and in the two adjoining districts.

Only handful of vehicles, apart from the cars of the media, poll and security personnel, were seen on the road.

Central forces were present in strength, while the police did not allow even roadside shops and eateries to open.

The central police forces didn't allow even small crowds.

Representatives of political parties sitting with the voter list 200 meters away from the booths and small queues before polling booths were the only indication that polling was in progress.

Muslim women wearing burqa were seen standing in a small queue outside a booth in Khidderpore area aong with their kids.

Party flags, posters were spread across various parts of the constituencies of South Kolkata such as Bhawanipore, Kasba, Kolkata port and Ballygunge.

A number of political heavyweights including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and key ministers like Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim, Manish Gupta, Partha Chatterjee, Javed Ahmed Khan and city mayor Sovan Chatterjee will try their luck in this phase of election.

While most of the buses and taxis requisitioned for election duty, the rest also remained off the roads. Children and college students taking advantage of the deserted streets and lack of transport played cricket on the streets.

Chief Minister Banerjee polled her vote in Mitra institution of Bhawanipore assembly constituency and after pressing the EVM button posed a victory sign for the camera persons waiting nearby.

Former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and his wife too cast their vote.