Voting in Alipurduar district peaceful- hailstorm did not disrupt the polling process.

RAJ KUMAR KARMAKAR, SNS, ALIPURDUAR, 10 APRIL 21: Voting under the fourth phase of the Assembly elections was largely peaceful in Alipurduar today.

No untoward incident was reported in the district. However, some electronic voting machines malfunctioned at some places in all the five assembly segments- -Alipurduar, Falakata, Kalchini, Madarihat and Kumargrame-- it is learnt.

Later in the day, a hailstorm that lashed the region, affected the polling process.

The thunder storm, accompanied by hailstones, started at around 4:30 pm in different parts of Alipurduar district and continued till 6 pm.

However, the Alipurduar district administration said the hailstorm did not disrupt the polling process.

"Polling in our district was very good. The weather disturbance in the latter part of the day did not cause problems. We were and are alert and are ready to tackle every situation," ADM, election, Pranab Ghosh, said.

All tile 62 tea gardens in the district also witnessed peaceful polling, along with forest villages.

"Voting in the district was peaceful, which is obviously a very good thing, given the death of five persons in neighbouring Cooch Behar district," said the Left-Congress alliance Sanyukta Morcha election candidate and senior Congress leader, Deba Prasad Roy.

Leaders said that voters in all the assembly constituencies in the district cast their votes in a festive mood. "It was to some extent a holiday mood for all on poll day today," a party leader said.

"Though the BJP had been trying to intimidate us with the help of central forces since yesterday, the overall voting process was peaceful in Alipurduar," said the Trinamul Congress candidate for the Alipurduar Assembly seat, Sourav Chakraborty.