Battle for Bengal ends with conclusion of sixth phase of polls

Kolkata, May 10 (PTI) The decisive battle in the east
Indian state of West Bengal to decide whether the Left Front
will extend its 34-year-old rule or the Trinamool-Congress
alliance grab power was finally sealed in the EVMs on Tuesday,
as the state recorded an overall turnout of around 83 per cent
during the Assembly polls.
The sixth and last phase of elections, which recorded
84.8 per cent turnout during the day in 14 seats in the three
Maoist-hit 'Junglemahal' districts of West Midnapore, Bankura
and Purulia ended peacefully, as did the other five phases
preceding it.
Counting will be held on May 13.
"The polls were held absolutely peaceful and totally
incident free," Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi told
reporters in Delhi at the end of polling today.
Asked whether the poll percentage in the state this
time was the highest ever, he said it could be termed
"maximum" compared to the 2006 Assembly and 2009 Lok Sabha
polls.
Never before, since 1977, has an Assembly election
been so keenly contested since the results from the 2008
panchayat elections, Lok Sabha elections the following year
and others in the state, have seen the Left Front facing
repeated electoral reverses.
Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, who coined the 'Ma,
Mati, Manush' slogan after tasting success in her movement
against "forcible land acquisition", was the key mover and
shaker for her party during the election campaigns.
Home Minister P Chidamabaram's caustic comments on law
and order in the state gave an agressive note to the wrap-up
of the high profile campaign for the Congress-Trinamool
alliance by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President
Sonia Gandhi, AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi and Finance
minister Pranab Mukherjee.
For the Left Front, campaigners were CPI(M) general
secretary Prakash Karat and politburo members Brinda Karat and
Sitaram Yechuri.
As far as the BJP were concerned, its president Nitin
Gadkari and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi hit the
campaign trail.
The elections though, were not without its share of
controversies, with CPI(M) leader and Housing Minister Goutam
Deb alleging that Trinamool had used black money to fund its
election campaign.
In reply, the Trinamool Congress filed criminal and
civilian defamation suits.
There was 83.75 per cent polling in 54 seats in the
first phase on April 18-- 85.32 per cent in 56 seats in the
second phase on April 23-- 78.3 per cent in 75 seats in the
third phase on April 27-- 84.8 per cent in 63 seats in the
fourth phase on May 3-- 83 per cent in 38 seats in the fifth
phase on May 7 and 84.8 per cent in 14 seats in the sixth and
final phase today.