Eighty per cent polling in Balagarh Assembly bypoll

Kolkata, Dec 29 (UNI) Eighty per cent votes were polled in the Balagarh Assembly bypoll in Hooghly today amidst tight security arrangements to ensure free and fair poll.

IG (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia said the polling was held peacefully with no untoward incident reported from any part of the constituency.

'' People exercised their franchise in large number since morning across 169 booths where elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure peaceful polling,'' Mr Kanojia said.

The election was necessitated following the death of CPI(M) MLA Dibakanta Routh.

The divided opposition has fielded separate candidates to fight the CPI(M) in the poll. All India Trinamool Congress, the Congress, CPI(ML)-Liberation and the BJP have fielded their candidates.

The CPI(M) has won the seat in 2001 and 2006 Assembly elections.

The counting will take place on January 2.

UNI