After the high voltage campaigning, voting for the second phase of West Bengal Assembly elections began on Thursday. A total of thirty constituencies are in the fray including the high-stakes Nandigram seat on which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting against former aide and BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari.

Till 11 am, a high voter turnout of 37.4 per cent has been recorded.

In the second phase, BJP alleged that stones were thrown at one of its candidates while the Trinamool Congress has alleged disruption of booths.

TMC leader and MP Derek O’Brien has written to the Election Commission (EC) alleging booth capture by BJP workers in Nandigram. He tweeted, “BJP and their mind games! Won’t work. Trinamool booth agents ROCK SOLID in 354 booths in #Nandigram. We have registered complaints for 10 specific booths. All attempts by CRPF to influence/intimidate voters not working. People determined to have @MamataOfficial as their MLA.”

In Keshpur, a BJP candidate’s vehicle was vandalised allegedly by supporters of the Trinamool Congress. A team of central forces have reached the spot, an Election Commission official said. The EC has also sought a report from the administration.

Nandigram, in the East Medinipur district, is witnessing a high stake battle as both BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee are contesting against each other. Mamata Banerjee came to power toppling the Left Front when she led an agitation against a chemical hub in Nandigram in 2007.

Suvendu Adhikari, the former aide of TMC leader Mamata Banerjee had joined the BJP in December at a rally in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has been campaigning on a wheelchair after her leg was injured in Nandigram the day she filed her nomination.

The EC has deployed around 651 companies of central forces, and has declared Bengal’s 10,620 booths as ‘sensitive.’

TMC and BJP are contesting on all the 30 seats, while CPI(M) is in the fray in 15 and its alliance partners of Sanjukta Morcha, the Congress and ISF are competing in 13 and two seats respectively.

The West Bengal Assembly elections will take place in eight phases and the results will be declared on May 2.