Polling peaceful in West Bengal's Bhabanipur, 21.7% turnout till 11 am

Around 21.7 per cent polling was recorded in the by-election to the Bhabanipur assembly constituency, where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting, till 11 am on Thursday, officials said.

Voting has so far been peaceful since it started at 7 am, they said.

A high turnout of around 40.23 per cent and 36.11 per cent was recorded in Samserganj and Jangipur seats, respectively, in Murshidabad district, till 11 am.

A total of 6,97,164 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the three constituencies.

Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress supremo, is pitted against BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal and CPI(M)'s Srijib Biswas in Bhabanipur.

Tibrewal claimed that TMC forcibly stopped the voting process at a polling booth in ward number 72, and that state minister Firhad Hakim was trying to influence the voters in the constituency.

Hakim termed the allegations as baseless.

"Does having tea at a roadside stall tantamount to influencing voters? The BJP knows it will lose the by-poll and are now making lame excuses," he said.

Banerjee, who lost from the Nandigram constituency in the assembly elections earlier this year, has to win this by-poll to retain the chief minister's post.

Polls had to be countermanded in Jangipur and Samserganj in April following the death of two candidates.

Long queues were seen since early morning outside several booths across the constituencies. Voting will continue till 6 pm.

Votes will be counted on October 3.