79 percent polling in Bengal's third phase, one dead in violence

Amid incidents of violence that left one person dead and several others injured, West Bengal saw over 79 percent votes cast in 62 constituencies on Thursday in phase three of the assembly elections.

The Left Front and the Congress demanded repolling in 15 booths of Domkal constituency.
"At 5 p.m., the overall polling percentage was 79.22 percent," Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Gupta said.
The turnout in Murshidabad was 79.29 percent, Nadia 81.62 percent, Burdwan 78.26 percent, and Kolkata (North) 57.06 percent," said Gupta.
Tahidul Islam, said to be a Communist Party of India-Marxist activist, was killed in Domkal of Murshidabad district. The district administration in its report to the Election Commission said Tahidul did not die "in any clash or bomb blast". "The body of Tahidul Islam was found 500 metres away from Haridoba Notunpara with a sharp cut injury. Apparently, he was murdered by unknown people and the body was placed on the road."
Ten people were injured in various incidents, while 232 people were arrested, he said. Reports of violence were also received from Ketugram in Burdwan district where three people were injured after crude bombs were hurled near a polling booth. Several crude bombs were also seized from near a booth at Saguna in Nadia district.A block Level Officer, Rabindranath Ghosh, died of heatstroke in Mangalkot constituency of Burdwan district.
Election Commission officials received 2,777 complaints, including those of violence, voter intimidation and disruption of the poll process. Altogetehr 2,322 complaints have been disposed off.
Among the major candidates in the third phase are state ministers and Trinamool contestants Rabiranjan Chattopadhyay, Sashi Panja, Sadhan Pandey, former state minister and CPI-M candidates Anisur Rahaman and Debesh Das, Congress legislature party leader Mohammad Sohrab and former state party president Somendranath Mitra, and BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha.
Polling in the fourth, fifth and sixth phases will be held on April 25, 30 and May 5 for 49, 53 and 25 constituencies respectively.