The voting percentage in 30 assembly seats that went to polls during the first phase of West Bengal elections was 84.13 percent, according to an updated report of the Election Commission.

Polling was "mostly peaceful", barring a few sporadic incidents of violence, an EC official said on Sunday.

Of the 30 seats that went to the polls on Saturday, nine were in Purulia, four each in Bankura and Jhargram, six in Paschim Medinipur, and seven in Purba Medinipur district. The highest polling percentage of 86.32 was recorded in the Purba Medinipur district, followed by Jhargram (84.74 percent), Paschim Medinipur (84.71 percent), Bankura (84.27 per cent) and Purulia (81.77 per cent).

Nearly 74 lakh electorate across 10,288 polling stations spread across 30 Assembly constituencies had registered to exercise their franchise in this phase.

Meanwhile, Assam registered around 77 percent polling in 47 constituencies adhering to COVID-19 protocols.

The fate of 264 candidates including Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami, state Congress president Ripun Bora and jailed anti-CAA activist Akhil Gogoi was sealed in the first of the three-phase election for the 126-member assembly in the state.

An estimated 76.89 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 6 pm when the voting ended, the official said. "The poll percentage may increase a bit after final compilation," Joint Chief Electoral Officer Rahul Ch Das said.

(With inputs from PTI)

(Edited by : Aditi Gautam)

First Published:Mar 28, 2021 8:34 AM IST