Heat no bar: 45 percent polling between 9 am and 1 pm

Kolkata: There is something interesting to note if somebody delves deep into the voting percentage of Bengal in the sixth phase of elections on Sunday.

Seven of the eight constituencies in the state recorded more than 80 percent voter turnout and interestingly, 45 percent of the total votes were cast from 9 am to 1 pm when the afternoon heat was

almost unbearable with temperature shooting up over

35 degrees, coupled with the high humidity level causing profuse perspiration and discomfort.

The overall polling percentage in the state stood at a whopping 83.46 percent, which is far ahead of Haryana that ranked second with 70.31 percent and Madhya Pradesh at third that recorded a polling percentage of 65.25.

Kanthi recorded 85.81 percent polling – the second highest in the state as well as in the country after Bishnupur. The figures of the Commission revealed that from 9 am to 1 pm, the East Midnapore constituency witnessed 45.9 percent voting. In the first two hours (7 am to 9am) Kanthi recorded 12.50 percent voting, which rose to 57.09 percent at 1 pm. More than half of the total votes in Kanthi were cast during these four hours.

Purulia, which recorded a polling of only 16.92 percent in the first two hours, had a

jump 39.68 percent taking the total percentage to 56.60 percent at 1 pm. This was an increase of 48.22 percent on the total polling in the constituency.

The Jhargram seat recorded an increase of 46.51 percent and Tamluk had an increase of 46.55 percent of the total votes polled in the respective constituencies.

Even Bankura with 78.50 percent - the lowest voting percentage among the eight constituencies in the state, witnessed a jump of 52.48 percent on the basis of the total number of votes cast in the constituency in these four hours.

The district that had a voting percentage of only 11.62 percent in the first two hours of polling, recorded an increase of 41.2 percent taking the voter turnout to 52.82 percent in the next four hours.

Bishnupur is the only constituency that had an increase of 33.95 percent in these four hours. The percentage calculated on the total number of votes polled revealed that this parliamentary constituency in Bankura had an increase of only 38.36 percent - the lowest increase among the eight constituencies.

Interestingly, among the 59 constituencies that went to polls on Sunday, all the top spots were bagged by the eight LS seats in Bengal.

Bishnupur topped with 87.36 percent, followed by Kanthi (85.81 percent), Jhargram (85.39 percent), Tamluk (85.32 percent) and Bankura (78.50 percent).