West Bengal recorded a voter turnout of 79.79 per cent till 6 pm on Saturday, in the first phase of the state assembly polls, according to the Election Commission’s Turnout App.

Saltora constituency has witnessed the highest voting percentage at 85.25 per cent while Raipur constituency has witnessed the lowest voting percentage at 72.56 per cent, according to the Election Commission.

Purbo Medinipur district reported the highest voter turnout at 82.42 per cent while Purulia reported the lowest voter turnout at 77.12 per cent.

The polling is being held across 30 constituencies in the first phase of voting in West Bengal. The first phase of polling for assembly elections in West Bengal began at 7 am on Saturday.

There are 191 candidates in the fray, and over 73 lakh voters are on the rolls to exercise their franchise. The prominent candidates include BJP district president Sukhamoy Satpati, actress June Maliah, four-time Congress MLA from Baghmundi Nepal Mahato, and Sanjukta Morcha’s Susanta Ghosh.

In West Bengal, polling is being held amid tight security with the Election Commission deploying around 730 companies of central forces, guarding 10,288 polling booths housed in 7,061 premises.

Polling for the next two phases will be held on April 1 and April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.