An estimated 76 per cent voters cast ballots for 66 seats on Saturday in the second phase of West Bengal assembly polls, the Election Commission said.

A new Bengal, rising in Howrah

The polling was peaceful with no major incident reported from East Midnapore, Howrah, Hooghly and Nadia districts where long queues of voters were seen after 5 pm. The voters were issued booth slips for exercising their rights, the police said.

"The percentage of voting is likely to rise with receipt of final reports," Election department sources said.

Reports from the districts said that while East Midnapore recorded 60 per cent polling, it was 70 per cent in Howrah, 65 per cent in Nadia and 61 per cent in Hooghly. "Polling was continuing in many booths in all the districts," they said.

CPI-M is heading for a landslide

Polling, which started on a dull note, picked up as the day advanced and in many polling stations women outnumbered men.

Faulty Electronic Voting Machines delayed commencement of voting in about a dozen booths in East Midnapore, which included Mugberia where Fisheries minister Kiranmoy Nanda is contesting and Egra where Parliamentary Affairs minister Probodh Chandra Sinha is seeking re-election.

Reports of poll boycott were received from Barhbajitpur village in East Midnapore where 70 families stayed away from voting on the issue of lack of development, water crisis and unemployment.

The first phase of the assembly polls in West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts reported 81 per cent voting on April 17.

Complete Coverage: Assembly Elections 2006