Women stand in a queue to cast their votes at a polling booth during assembly polls at Asansol in West Bengal on Monday. (PTI Photo)
West Bengal has perhaps seen worse on polling day. Today, sporadic clashes - mostly in the Asansol area - marred an otherwise uneventful 10 hours of voting in 31 seats of 294 in the state assembly.
The opposition filed several complaints about the ruling party chasing away rival poll agents from booths and other alleged violations. A top CPM leader was heckled while visiting booths in his constituency.
The seat where a local Trinamool leader was beaten to death on Friday was tense. These 31 seats that went to the polls today could be key to the final result due on May 19.
Jamuria hit the headlines even before polling started - a Trinamool and BJP free for all preceded by the Trinamool thrashing and chasing away a CPM polling agent.
Jamuria is in the Asansol Lok Sabha seat that the BJP won in 2014. The BJP wants to win again but Trinamool and the Left-Congress combine are fighting back.
In West Midnapore district, there was verbal violence - CPM's Surjya Kanta Mishra, legislator from Narayangarh since 1982, was heckled at polling stations he visited.
"Very nice for me. Very for Trinamool. People should see them. My presence is problem for them. The number of booths they wanted to capture is down to almost nil," said Mr Mishra.
He knows his is a difficult seat because in 2014 general elections, the Trinamool led in this segment by 26000 votes.
"Didi has said she will give Narayangarh whatever we want if we defeat the CPIM," said Trinamool panchayat member Keshav Dey.
Swadesh Das, a local resident, said, "Why won't he be heckled? He never did anything for Narayangarh in 34 years. Now he has come to ask for votes."
Of the 31 seats that voted today, in 2011 the Trinamool won 18, then ally Congress won three and the Left 10. In 2014 general polls, Trinamool led in 23 segments, the BJP in six and the left in two. The Congress drew a blank.