State Assembly elections conclude on peaceful note

New Delhi, May 8 (UNI) The last phase of assembly elections in four States and in one Union Teritory was completed with no untoward incidents and voting took place peacefully.

Addressing newsmen on the completion of the last and final phase of the election process, the Deputy Election Commissioner R Bhattacharya said the voting percentage was moderate to heavy as in the case of Pondicherry for 27 Assembly constituency it was tentatively placed at 81 per cent, for the 49 Assembly constituencies of West Bengal it was evaluted at 73 per cent and for that of Tamil Nadu's 234 Assembly constituencies it was estimated at 65 per cent.

In the polling for the Rae Bareli Parliamentary constituency by-election the voter turnout was low to moderate and was placed at 43 per cent.

For the other Assembly by-election of Deeg at Rajasthan the voter turnout was placed at48 per cent, he added.

Mr Bhattacharya said in West Bengal a total of 9089 polling stations were set up for today's fifth and the final phase of voting with 8164219 electorate of which 4266754 were male voters and the remaining 3897456 were female. There were a total of 306 candidates in today's electoral fray. The highest number of eleven candidates were trying their luck at 31-Raiganj Assembly Constituency.

He said similarly, in the case of Tamil Nadu there were a total of 51535 polling stations set up for the 234 assembly seats in the State. There were a total of 46361952 electorate out of which 22984129 were male and the remaining 23377773 were female voters.

The total number of candidates in the election fray were 2586.

In the case of Pondicherry: a total of 660 polling stations were set up for 61657 electorate spread over 27 assembly constituencies.

In Rai Bareli there were 1279 polling stations for 1362461 electorate. The total number of male voters were 71,6682 and that of female voters 645779. There were a total of 16 candidates who were trying their luck.

Responding to questions about the EC notice to the Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh on his statement on reservation of quota for the backward class students in the higher education, Mr Bhattacharya said Mr Singh appeared before the full commission. The commission after hearing his views will take a final decision on this matter very soon.

Responding to another question, Mr Bhattacharya said the commission has received a complaint from the Congress candidate at Rai Bareli against the Uttar Pradesh Government Minister who hails from the State's ruling Samajwadi party.

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