Voting commenced at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. The polling percentage in Raiganj was 16.61, whereas in Darjeeling it was 14.76 and 14.7 in Balurghat.

BJP state chief Sukanta Majumder – who is seeking re-election from the Balurghat seat – is fighting against veteran TMC leader and state minister Biplab Mitra in the second phase. While casting his vote in Balurghat, Majumder was seen entering into a verbal altercation with the voters outside a polling booth. He claimed that a BJP worker was beaten up outside the booth.

“The police are doing nothing. TMC workers within 100 metres of the booth are shouting slogans at us. Our booth agent was beaten up. The TMC is indulging in hooliganism to win the election,” said Majumder. He said a complaint has been lodged with the Election Commission against the TMC. The poll panel has asked the administration to submit an action-taken report in connection with the incident at the earliest.

The Trinamool Congress, however, denied the allegations and claimed that Majumder, along with the central forces, were intimidating voters outside the polling booth.

Meanwhile, over 240 minor complaints were lodged with the Election Commission by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with the latter accusing ruling party workers of voter intimidation, booth rigging and flouting electoral norms. According to the Election Commission, polling in West Bengal has been peaceful so far on Friday.