Bengal bypolls: AJUP chief Humayun Kabir detained in Murshidabad after casting vote

Humayun Kabir detained after voting as Bengal votes in Rejinagar, Nandigram bypolls

NEW DELHI: Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief and MLA Humayun Kabir was briefly detained by Rejinagar Police and taken away from his party office in Murshidabad on Tuesday, after he cast his vote in the Rejinagar Assembly constituency by-election.

Voting began early Tuesday for by-elections to five Assembly seats across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, along with a Lok Sabha seat in Assam.In West Bengal, polling is being held in the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies. The Nandigram seat fell vacant after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari won from two constituencies in the state Assembly elections earlier this year and chose to retain the other seat.The Rejinagar seat fell vacant after Kabir, who had won from both Rejinagar and Nowda, resigned from one of the constituencies.The Rejinagar contest includes BJP nominee Sakharav Sarkar, former Murshidabad district president; Mamata Banerjee-led TMC candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury; rival TMC candidate Safiuzzaman Sheikh; Congress nominee Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi; and CPI(M)'s Syed Asad Ali.

The administration has put in place multi-layered security arrangements to maintain law and order and ensure peaceful polling, officials said.

Rejinagar has 2.57 lakh electors and 315 polling stations, while Nandigram has 2.67 lakh voters and 323 polling stations. Webcasting is available at all polling booths in both constituencies.Counting of votes will take place on October 9.