As the polls reached Salt Lake, Lake Town, Bangur, New Town Rajarhat,Dum Dum, Kamarphari and Baranagar The Telegraph spoke to those who cast their votes on Saturday on issues that they kept in mind while pressing the button.

Ronny Sen

A resident of Salt Lake’s HA Block Ronny Sen, said he had voted to stop a fascist force from grabbing power in the state.

Sen said when the BJP came to power in Assam, it left out two million people from the National Register of Citizens (NRC), who turned into foreigners into their own land and ended up in detention centres. “I also voted to ensure that no such (detention) centres come up in Bengal.”

Shamsher Hussain

Shamsher Hussain Tarafder, 29, said he had been looking for a job in the government as well as the private sector for at least four years before opening his own garments shop.

Tarafdar, who voted at the Nawapara Free Primary School near City Centre II in New Town, said, “ Steps that the Centre too, including implementing GST, demonetisation and the implementation of the lockdown, left a small trader lie me in a lurch.”

Tuhin Banerjee

Tuhin Banerjee, who works in a private biotechnology company said he failed to understand the narrative of a particular party dictating what people can do.

Banerjee, a resident of Belghoria, said: “This is a free country and nobody can impose anything on us.”

Mohammed Irfan Alam

Kaikhali resident Mohammed Irfan Alam, said he only had a better job scenario in the state while casting his vote. “While on one hand the state government conducts exams then publishes the results in a very irregular manner, the Centre has been reducing the number of jobs with each passing year.”

Surabhi Saha and Surajit

For homemaker Surabhi Saha, who voted at a booth in Dum Dum “women’s safety was of paramount importance”. Her husband Surajit said: “ I have voted with a hope that businesses will grow at a rapid rate in Bengal