West Bengal bypolls | Nearly 35% polling till 1 p.m.; minor incidents of violence in Asansol

The Asansol Lok Sabha seat saw 43.66% polling, whereas the prestigious Ballygunge Assembly seat in south Kolkata had a slower 26.10% polling till 1 p.m.

Barring minor incidents of violence, the polling for the Asansol Lok Sabha seat and Ballygunge Assembly seat in West Bengal, where bye-elections are being held on Tuesday, has been peaceful, with nearly 35% of eligible voters casting their votes till 1 p.m.

The Asansol Lok Sabha seat saw 43.66% polling, whereas the prestigious Ballygunge Assembly seat in south Kolkata had a slower 26.10% polling till 1 p.m., an official said.

On Tuesday morning, stones were hurled at the vehicle of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s candidate for the Asansol Lok Sabha bypoll Agnimitra Paul, leading to tension in a few localities of the industrial town.

Stones were hurled when the candidate's personal security baton-charged a group of Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters who gheraoed Ms. Paul's vehicle, alleging that she tried to enter a polling booth along with her security guards. Television grabs also seemed to show that her guards had tried to enter the booth.

"My polling agent was not allowed to enter a booth in Barabani. My vehicle was also attacked, and the police were mute spectators. Does TMC think they can ensure Shatrughan Sinha's victory by plotting to kill me? The BJP will again win in Asansol," Ms. Paul said.

As her security personnel tried to escort her out of the spot, TMC activists shouted slogans against the BJP, following which a melee between the security forces and the activists was reported.

The TMC alleged that Ms. Paul and her security personnel tried to create disturbance in the area.