For many years, Mamata Banerjee’s poll day routine was: Step out to vote late in the afternoon, and monitor the polls from home the rest of the day.

On Wednesday, she made an exception. Trinamool’s Bhabanipur candidate left home as early as 7.30am and went to Chetla, pit-stopped at several party offices within her constituency, and got her car to pull over briefly outside two polling stations in her constituency.

Some said the early departure from home betrayed a rare sense of nervousness in Mamata. Some others felt it was possibly meant to pep up her party cadres for what could be a tough fight.

By noon, Mamata was back home and had slipped into her familiar election-day routine. She stepped out to vote only around 4pm.

After reaching Chakraberia at about 8am, Mamata sat on a chair on the pavement next to a party office. Ward 70 councillor Ashim Bose sat next to her. A little later, she went upstairs into an apartment on Chakraberia Road North.

Suvendu Adhikari, her BJP rival, arrived in Chakraberia with a huge contingent of central forces around 9.30am, at the same location where Mamata had been camping since 8am.

A face-off between the two candidates was averted as Mamata had already entered the apartment.

This election’s most hotly contested seat saw the police wield the baton at least once, at the intersection of Harish Mukherjee Road and Kalighat Road.

Suvendu was greeted with Trinamool’s “Joy Bangla” slogans outside the polling station at the Jai Hind Bhavan community hall, a little past noon.

His voice almost drowned by the sloganeering, he could be heard asking, over the phone, for the immediate deployment of more central forces. They arrived soon enough.

Several women alleged that Suvendu had referred to the crowd as “Bangladeshi Musalman” and that it had enraged them.

The BJP candidate did not deny the allegation. He told reporters that there were “Bangladeshi Muslims there”.

Some from among the voters shouted back at him: “Show us the Bangladeshis.”

A senior police officer said: “We had to resort to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. The situation was brought under control quickly.”

Mamata alleged the central forces were guilty of high-handedness multiple times during the day.

“The BJP-minded observers are beating up people. From Tuesday night, they started the atrocities. They have arrested so many of our people,” she said after casting her vote at the Mitra Institution in Harish Mukherjee Road.

“The CRPF cannot torture people like this. The youth block president was arrested, so I had to go to Chetla.”

Despite the complaints, she said Trinamool would cross 200 seats.

“They should secure the border. Instead they are securing a political party. They have beaten up women in my para,” the chief minister said about the central forces.

Earlier in the day, she had alleged: “The CRPF attacked the house of Ashim Bose at 2am on Wednesday. There was no state police with them.

“Bose’s wife and child were at home. When she said he was not home, they snatched her mobile and told her Ashim should stop working in this election.”

Late in the afternoon, Suvendu visited Ekbalpore Road, part of Ward 77, a traditional Trinamool stronghold from where the party expects a handy lead this time as well.

He was again booed with “Joy Bangla” slogans.