Eight hours after voting began for Assembly polls on Saturday, West Bengal seems to be showing an unprecedented enthusiasm for the electoral exercise, with around 79 per cent voter turnout already recorded in the first phase of polling.

More than half of the 73 lakh electorate in the 30 Assembly constituencies had already cast their vote and sealed the fate of 191 candidates who are in the fray on the first day of the eight-phase elections in the state underway in five districts. There have been reports of EVM malfunctioning at more than 60 booths and allegations of violence.