The second phase of polling has begun in west Bengal amidst tight securities as a total of 30 assembly constituencies from the districts of South 24 Parganas,Paschim Medinipur, Bankura and Purba Medinipur are heading to vote on thursday. The voter turnout indented as much as 15.72 per cent in about three hours.
As per the Election Commission's voter turnout App, the approximate voter turnout trend till 10 a.m. in Bankura district was 16.05 per cent, Paschim Medinipur 17.33, Purbo Medinipur 16.91 and South 24 Parganas 8.69 per cent,
Many reached polling stations hours before the voting began to caste their vote in favour of their candidates from a list of 171 candidates - 152 male, 19 female- cross four districts of South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and Bankura.
The Election Commission reported that 75,94,549 voters -- 38,80,955 men and 37,13,508 women -- are eligible to cast their votes across 10,620 polling stations.
All eyes are set on the prominent Nandigram where Trinamool Congress stalwart Mamata Banerjee is set in opposition to her follower -turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP. This time a triumph is an absolute necessary for Mamata to win the public confidence, and keep together her party which is faced with exodus.
For Adhikari, this is a fight for political endurance as a defeat might be a black mark on his political graph in his new party. Likewise, a victory would place him a league ahead of others in the Chief Ministerial race in case the BJP is voted to power.