Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday alleged that polling was unusually slow in certain booths in his Baharampur constituency in Murshidabad district, even as other parts of West Bengal witnessed high voter turnout in the first phase.

Chowdhury, who visited one of the polling areas in his constituency where some Congress workers were allegedly roughed up by unidentified miscreants, told PTI videos that he failed to find a plausible explanation for the poll slowdown in certain pockets.

"People are not able to cast their votes. They have been standing in queues for three to four hours and are facing problems in this unbearable heat. The queues are getting longer by the hour, and around 400 to 500 people are waiting," the Baharampur candidate said during the closing hours of polling.

"At a time when most booths have registered 80 to 90 per cent polling, I can't find a plausible reason for this slowdown in some polling stations here," he added.

Chowdhury alleged that the Election Commission's sector officer had no response to his queries and that polling personnel inside booths were not taking steps to expedite the process.

"That is why people continue to face difficulties. It amazes me to see this kind of situation here," he said.