State BJP general secretary Rahul Sinha, who described the polls as a ``farce'', alleged that the party's polling agents had been driven out by CPI(M) workers from 621 booths. Mamata Banerjee did not demand repoll in any booth, although she too complained that CPI(M) men had rigged the polls in many places. She was, however, happy that the people had turned out ``spontaneously and in large numbers'' to vote, which she thought was a good omen for her party's chances.

Curiously, it was the CPI(M) which demanded repolling in over 100 booths, which, according to state party secretary Anil Biswas, were captured by Trinamool-BJP workers. Of these, the party demanded repoll in 61 booths in the Arambagh constituency, 30in Berhampore and 10 in Nabadwip. The party too alleged that its polling agents had been forced out of some booths.

Chief Electoral Officer Jawahar Sarkar told reporters that he had received complaints of poll irregularities from Howrah, Dum Dum, Calcutta North West and Jadavpur constituencies. Polling could not be held in 362 booths in flood-affected areas.

An entire team of polling personnel was ``sacked'' after it was found indulging in malpractices and replaced in Kaligunj area of Krishnagar. In Midnapore, five polling personnel who had been abducted last evening were rescued unharmed this morning.

CPI(M) activists threatened and heckled journalists at some places, preventing them from entering the booths even though they had the Election Commission cards. A reporter of a television channel, who had been roughed up by CPI(M) men at Duff School in Calcutta Northeast, later lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer. A journalist of The Indian Express was threatened and prevented fromentering a booth in the Titagarh area in the Barrackpore constituency by CPI(M) men carrying pistols. Both at Titagarh and Sasan in the neighbouring Barasat constituency, CPI(M) men were alleged to have captured booths and stamped ballots at will. CPI(M) leader Anil Biswas later apologised for the attack on journalists.

At Howrah, the husband of the Trinamool candidate, Kakali Ghosh Dastidar, was attacked with a knife. But the police swung into action immediately, beating up the Marxist cadre. West Bengal Congress working president and the party candidate for Raigunj Priya Ranjan Das Munshi was allegedly attacked at Goalpokhar by armed Forward Bloc men.