Kolkata: West Bengal’s Phase 1 polling gathered strong momentum through the morning, with overall turnout rising to 41.11% by 11:00 am. The strongest polling was recorded in Paschim Medinipur (44.69%), followed by Jhargram (43.71%) and Bankura (43.22%), pointing to brisk mobilisation in the western belt. Overall, polling remained more or less peaceful across most districts, though the morning was punctuated by scattered reports of EVM complaints, intimidation, clashes and local booth-level tension.The most serious early disruption was reported from Mothabari in Malda, where polling was delayed for nearly one and a half hours after complaints of an EVM malfunction. Voters allegedly stood in line for a long time without being able to vote, and one voter reportedly came out of the booth without casting a vote even after ink had been applied. There were also complaints that the sector officer was not answering calls; when he later approached the booth, he was surrounded and jostled before leaving the area. The incident set a combative tone for the morning in a district that still remained below the state average at 38.22% by 11:00 AM.Other flashpoints emerged across the phase. In Murshidabad’s Domkal, a CPI(M) worker was allegedly assaulted by Trinamool workers near Booth No. 220 in Nazirpur, while voters separately complained of threats and intimidation. In Naoda, protests and later clashes were reported around Humayun Kabir, with Trinamool supporters raising “go back” slogans and central forces moving in as the situation worsened. In Paschim Medinipur’s Pingla, the BJP alleged that one of its polling agents had been picked up, prompting Suvendu Adhikari to demand action against the local officer-in-charge. Tension was also reported from Sitalkuchi, Cooch Behar where a BJP Kisan Morcha functionary was allegedly assaulted, and from Moyna, Purba Medipur where Trinamool candidate Chandan Mandal faced hostile sloganeering.In Dinhata, heavyweight TMC MLA Udayan Guha added to the controversy by alleging that at booth number 160, central forces had pressed the button on behalf of a voter. He claimed the incident involved a visually impaired voter and said a complaint would be lodged with the Election Commission, while also accusing the local police leadership of partisan conduct.The updated district-level turnout figures at 11 am show a broad spread of active polling across the state: Coochbehar 38.67%, Alipurduar 38.8%, Jalpaiguri 39.51%, Kalimpong 39.61%, Darjeeling 39.72%, Uttar Dinajpur 39.04%, Dakshin Dinajpur 41.17%, Malda 38.22%, Murshidabad 41.59%, Purbo Medinipur 42.16%, Paschim Medinipur 44.69%, Jhargram 43.71%, Purulia 39.16%, Bankura 43.22%, Paschim Bardhaman 40.24%, and Birbhum 41.92%. The pattern suggests that the west and parts of south Bengal were moving faster than north Bengal and Malda, though turnout remained fairly robust across the board.The scale of the exercise remains enormous. The phase covers an electorate of 3,60,77,171, with 44,376 polling stations and thousands of EVMs and VVPATs deployed across the state. By late morning, the contest was taking shape along two parallel tracks with high voter participation on the one hand, and an escalating political battle over booth access, neutrality and security on the other.With 260 complaints reportedly reaching the Election Commission by 11 am, the key question now is whether the day’s strong turnout can continue without the scattered incidents of disruption turning into a larger narrative of mistrust.