Kolkata, Feb 13 (IANS) Peaceful polling is underway Friday in by-election for the Bongaon Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal.
"The polling percentage was 34.70 at Bongaon till 12 noon," an Election Commission official said here.
The by-poll, necessitated by the death of Trinamool MP Kapil Krishna Thakur, is being held in the shadow of the CBI inquiry into the multi-billion rupee Saradha ponzi scam.
Several Trinamool leaders, including Transport Minister Madan Mitra, are under arrest, while a number of his party colleagues have been quizzed with regard to the scandal, said to be the biggest in the state.
Adding to the significance, the deceased MP's brother Manjul Krishna Thakur quit Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's cabinet and joined the BJP ahead of the polls.
The Trinamool has fielded Kapil Krishna's widow Mamatabala, while Manjul Krishna's son Subrata is the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate.
Former state minister Debesh Das is the Communist Party of the India (Marxist) nominee. Congress' Kuntal Mondal is also in fray.
A total of 15,65,447 people, including 7,55,822 females and 11 others, are eligible to cast their votes at 1,863 polling stations. The total number of candidates is 11, two of them women.
Simultaneous by-polls are being held for the Krishnaganj assembly seat where 37.62 percent voters expressed their choice till noon. The seat in Nadia district fell vacant due to the death of Trinamool lawmaker Sushil Biswas.
Among the five candidates are Trinamool's Satyajit Biswas, Apurba Biswas of the CPI-M and BJP's Manabendra Roy. The Congress ticket has gone to Nityagopal Mondal.
The strength of the electorate is 2,44,988, including 1,16,441 females and one others. There are 288 polling stations.
Both Bongaon and Krishnaganj are reserved for scheduled caste candidates.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto does not want any help from India for the flooded Pakistan, know - some more special things
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari recently gave a virtual interview to an American magazine. In this, he has answered many questions asked on the relationship between China, America,
Mann Ki Baat: 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat will be heard live at UN Headquarters, Bill Gates also congratulated
The 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's monthly radio program Mann Ki Baat will also be broadcast at the United Nations Headquarters. The show's 100th episode will air on Sunday, 30 April.
Threat to India from China's Djibouti plan: Will deploy Warship-Submarine at its first foreign military base; This is confirmed in the American report
China's Djibouti plan can pose a threat to India. China can deploy aircraft carriers, large warships, and submarines at its first foreign military base in Djibouti. This has been said in the annual
Six get 10-year jail term in Odisha gang rape
Bhubaneswar, March 19 (IANS) A court in Odisha has sentenced six people to 10 years in prison for kidnapping and raping a Dalit woman in Bargarh district nearly six years ago, a lawyer said on
Bengaluru train accident: Doctors save Polish woman's leg
Bengaluru, Feb 15 (IANS) A young Polish woman, who was aboard the express train which derailed near here Friday, saved her injured left leg from being amputated, as doctors at a private hospital
Govt schools HP: Preparing to merge less number of government schools in Himachal
Preparations are on to merge schools with less number of students in Himachal Pradesh. For this, the Education Department has sought the details of the schools with a nominal number of students
Waqf Bill: Waqf Board is claiming the monuments under ASI as their own, ASI handed over the list of 120 monuments to JPC
A dispute has erupted between the ASI and the Waqf Board over the ownership of monuments. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Friday presented a list of more than 120 monuments to the
SSC Constable Recruitment: Last date to apply for more than 1400 posts is today, hurry up
SSC Recruitment 2022: If you are working hard day and night in preparation for a government job and are looking for a better opportunity, then that opportunity has come in front of you. Staff
Bhagwant Mann will be the CM face of Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, Arvind Kejriwal announced, 93.7 percent people said that Mann is the first choice
Bhagwant Mann will be the chief minister's face of the Aam Aadmi Party in the Punjab Assembly elections. AAP's national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that if he had declared
China: Retrenchment in China after Corona, employees of COVID test kit manufacturer Zybio protest
After the outcry from Corona in China, amidst the news of the slow pace of the economy, news of the retrenchment of workers is also being received from there. In this episode, Jibio, a company that
