Maheshtala bypoll: Brisk voting in early hours

 Around 33% voting was recorded in the Maheshtala Assembly bypoll till 11 am, an Election Commission official said.

The polling process that began on a peaceful note at 7am will continue till 6pm, he said. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting MLA Kasturi Das. Maheshtala is witnessing a triangular contest among the Trinamool Congress, the BJP and the Left Front.

The TMC has fielded Dulal Das, the husband of the deceased MLA, while the BJP, which is trying to emerge as the main challenger to the TMC, has nominated Sujit Ghosh, a former joint director of the CBI. The Left, on the other hand, has fielded Prabhat Chowdhury, a relatively greenhorn in the fray. The Congress is backing Chowdhury. Ten companies of central forces, along with a large contingent of state armed forces, have been deployed in the constituency to ensure free and fair by-election, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in West Bengal, Aariz Aftab, said.Altogether, 2,48,855 voters are expected to exercise their franchise in 283 booths, he added.