Bengal's highest booth near Darjeeling (Shree Khola)records 50 pc polling

Darjeeling, Apr 18 :West Bengal's highest point polling booth, Shree Khola, reported the topmost polling percentage of 50 per cent in the first six hours among all the polling booths in six districts of north Bengal this afternoon.
Polling officials said the Sree Khola polling station at 2800 mt above sea level reported 50 per cent turnout by 1300 hours among 778 tribal electorate, who used traditional ballot papers.The booth, about 110 km nowthwest of Darjeeling, also the remotest, has no  

electricity facility and not even the potable water.Elsewhere voting was affected in as many as 35 polling booths in six distrcits of North Bengal due to faulty 35 EVMs, which were replaced quickly.The three hill constituencies Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong also reported brisk polling between 35 to 42 per cent with massive response from female voters for the first six hours.A CPI(M) worker was injured in a clash with the Trinamool Congress supporters at a booth under Dabgram Assembly constituency in Siliguri.

--UNI