IANS/Kolkata
West Bengal witnessed peaceful voting in the third of the six-phase assembly elections yesterday.Around 75% of the electorate cast votes in 75 constituencies in Kolkata and two neighbouring districts, officials said. Among the candidates yesterday were Chief Minister Buddadeb Bhattacharjee and 11 of his ministers.Two women died while standing in long queues outside the polling stations. “In South 24 Parganas district, a woman died of sunstroke while waiting in the queue. Another woman died when she slipped and sustained a head injury after coming out of a polling booth in Canning West,” said District Magistrate N S Nigam.Seventeen polling officers were removed for irregularities, authorities said.South 24 Parganas had the highest turnout at 80%, followed by North 24 Parganas of 77%. Kolkata recorded 60%.Kolkata has 11 constituencies, North 24-Parganas has 33 and South 24-Parganas 31.The state’s ruling Left Front is facing the stiffest challenge of its 34-year rule from a determined Trinamul Congress-Congress Party alliance.Chief Minister Bhattacharjee of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), main opposition Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, federal Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and former Indian cricket skipper Sourav Ganguly also cast their votes yesterday.Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee was among the early birds. The areas being covered in the third phase include the industrial belt of Kolkata and its suburbs and the populated areas of the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest.Banerjee accused the chief minister of trying to manipulate polls in his Jadavpur constituency.“It is a matter of shame and I am ashamed to say that the chief minister has tried to manipulate polling in a few of the areas of his constituency. He is using the state police in the area by using his powers. We will inform the Election Commission about it,” Banerjee said.Trinamul has high stakes in this round, as the areas going to the polls are regarded as its citadel. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the Trinamul and its ally Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist nominees were ahead in 66 of the 75 assembly segments.Other than Bhattacharjee, 11 state ministers whose fate were sealed yesterday include Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta (Khardah), Housing Minister Gautam Deb (Dum Dum) and Transport Minister Ranjit Kundu (Naihati).Leader of the opposition Partha Chatterjee (Behala-West), Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee (Behala-East) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry secretary general Amit Mitra (Khardah) were also in the race.A number of celebrities nominated by the Trinamul, including film stars Debashree Roy, Chiranjeet (Dipak) Chakroborty and theatre personality Bratya Basu were also trying their luck in the third phase.The CPM is contesting in 61 constituencies, the Forward Bloc (7), the Communist Party of India (3), the Revolutionary Socialist Party (3), Trinamul (70) and the Congress (5).The Bharatiya Janata Party has put up candidates in all the 75 constituencies, and the Bahujan Samaj Party in 51.Over 600 companies of security forces were deployed for the voting. Polls to the 294-member assembly, which started on April 18, will end on May 10.The first and second phases of elections saw around 85%. Votes will be counted on May 13.