Bengal polls: Extreme heat conditions affect polling during the day

Kolkata, April 11: Polling booths turned empty in several parts of western West Bengal that went to the elections on Monday (April 11), thanks to extreme heat conditions.

With the mercury hovering above 40 degrees Celsius (in Bankura it touched 44-degree mark) and hot wind blowing across, voters remained indoors and waited for the heat to suside before going to cast their ballot. In a number of constituencies in West Midnapore, Bankura and Burdwan districts where election took place during the day, forces were seen monitoring booths but there were no voters.

Long queues were seen earlier in the day but the number of voters started decreasing after 11 am. Even media personnel were seen taking precautions while reporting from the open.

Two voters died in Bankura and Burdwan districts during the day because of extreme heat conditions.

Thirty-one seats went to the polls on Monday, the second day of the first phase of election that started to April 4. One hundred and sixty-three candidates were in the fray in this election while the voters' number was nearly 70 lakh.

Oneindia News