With Fifth Phase Of Voting, West Bengal Seals Fate Of Heavyweights

Kolkata: The mother of the six-phase Bengal polls is over. Fifty-three seats voted today and only 25 more are left to go in the final phase of polling for the 294 Assembly constituencies in the state on May 5.

Today's voters numbered more than one crore and more than 78 per cent of them turned up. Among them were former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. He came to press the Electronic Voting Machine button at a school in the Ballygunge constituency - but with a tough choice to make. Because of the Congress alliance, he has no Left candidate to vote for. Only Trinamool and Congress.
 So, did Mr Bhattacharjee vote for the Congress for the first time in his life? "It's a secret, it's a secret," the veteran comrade smiled.

No such secrets for Mamata Banerjee - she voted for herself - and flashed a victory sign.  Her brothers, nephews and other members of her family who traditionally cast their vote at Mitra Institute near her house were confident. "She will be chief minister again," said Mamata's nephew Abhishek Banerjee, a lawmaker.
 From mayors to ministers, dozens of bigwigs had their fates sealed today. Some of them stung by the Narada sting operation. Guarded by armed paramilitary forces, Kolkata and two voting districts were fortresses.

But despite their presence, a CPM man was bloodied at Arambagh in Hooghly district, a Trinamool Congress worker allegedly shot at Baruipur East in South 24 Parganas district.
 Trinamool's Sonali Guha, known for her short temper, lost it today over a faulty EVM. She marched about the booth, shouting into her cell phone, "Thrash the CPM agent and throw him out of the booth. He intentionally damaged the EVM." The Election Commission asked for a police complaint to be filed against her.

Police said they have arrested 186 people in incidents of electoral malpractice and violence that left at least 15 injured today.