Time: 10.30am; place: Behala Manton of Behala Paschim Assembly segment under Kolkata Dakshin Lok Sabha Constituency.

The Trinamool Congress booth camp located barely 10 metres away from the closed office of Partha Chatterjee, erstwhile education minister, who is in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), was manned by four to five party workers. A party worker comes to the booth camp to say that only 11 to 12 per cent polling has been recorded in the two booths located in Borough XIV in Behala Tram Depot. Party workers manning the booth camp barely react.

The lacklustre scene on Saturday is remarkably different from the previous elections. Some ruling party workers scattered around the booth camp told this correspondent that there was a similar situation of low polling in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, but the reaction of the booth camp was different then.

"Partha da (Chatterjee) used to sit in his party office from 9am on a poll day and track the polling percentage at regular intervals. In 2019, he found that voter turnout was 10 per cent around 10am. He sent several workers with auto-rickshaws to bring voters to the booths. Several auto-rickshaws were kept on standby on Diamond Harbour Road near the party office. This time, the picture is completely different," said a TMC worker.

Sources said that the party office of Chatterjee was the nerve centre of Behala Paschim Assembly segment as every instruction to party workers of 300-odd booths of the Assembly segment would come from the office.

"This time, things are new for us.... Nobody gave us any instruction till now. So, we are just doing our routine duties like handing over voter slips...," said a party worker.

Chatterjee was expelled from Trinamool after the ED arrested him in the alleged teacher-hire scam in July 2022. The party failed to develop a mechanism to replace the leader who had been the Behala Paschim MLA since 2001.

"Some leaders are trying to handle poll-related affairs of Behala Paschim in the Lok Sabha polls, but clearly there is no guardian for this Assembly segment," said a party leader.

CPM leader, Kaustav Chatterjee, who had contested against Chatterjee in 2016 Assembly polls, said Trinamool's presence was far more subtle now in Behala Paschim.

"They are trying to create trouble in four-five booths in Sarsuna.... But we have our polling agents in all booths in this Assembly segment," said Kaustav, who was manhandled allegedly by TMC workers at Sarsuna on Saturday morning.

Not just the TMC, the presence of other parties was also not much felt in this Assembly segment.

"Once it was a bastion of the CPM, then it was Trinamool's turn. But it seems it is in a spot after Partha Chatterjee's arrest. The BJP could not take advantage of this vacuum," said Swapan Basu, a resident.

Trinamool workers were uncertain about Behala Paschim, which had given the party a lead of 16,165 votes in 2019. They hoped the party would gain a handsome lead from Behala Purba as the party managed to set up an alternative structure after Sovan Chatterjee, former city mayor and MLA of Behala Purba, left Trinamool.

"Overall, there is no uncertainty on the prospects of our Kolkata Dakshin candidate Mala Roy... If the lead dips somewhat in Behala Paschim, we will compensate from Behala Purba," said Asim Chatterjee, a TMC leader.