Kolkata, Apr 23: Voting for the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on Thursday, recording a robust turnout of 89.93 per cent till 5 pm among nearly 3.6 crore voters, despite sporadic clashes and incidents of violence reported from multiple districts. Electors present at polling stations before closing time were allowed to cast their votes, according to officials.

Clashes were reported in Murshidabad between supporters of Humayun Kabir’s AJUP and workers of the Trinamool Congress. In Dakshin Dinajpur, a BJP candidate was allegedly assaulted. Despite these incidents, long queues were seen across polling booths, indicating strong voter participation.

Tensions escalated further after a crude bomb explosion in Nowda area of Murshidabad injured several people. The incident triggered clashes between rival political workers, with police later resorting to mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd. Authorities, however, maintained that the situation remained under control.

Meanwhile, EVM glitches were reported from a few polling stations, though officials said these were resolved without major disruption to voting.

The political atmosphere remained charged, with PM Narendra Modi targeting the ruling Trinamool Congress at a rally in Nadia, claiming public anger against the party. On the other hand, the ruling party, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is seeking re-election, while the Bharatiya Janata Party is attempting to unseat it.

Earlier in the day, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari cast his vote in Nandigram and expressed hope for peaceful polling, stating that free and fair elections depend on eliminating fake voters from electoral rolls.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also intensified attacks during campaigning, accusing the ruling party of using infiltrators as a vote bank. In response, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee criticised Shah over remarks targeting the Chief Minister.

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The first phase covered polling in 152 constituencies across 16 districts, with voting held from 7am to 6pm. Officials said security personnel were deployed extensively to maintain law and order, even as isolated incidents of violence and unrest were reported.

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls remained a key issue during campaigning, with reports indicating deletion of between 60 lakh and 90 lakh names, reducing the voter base significantly.