NANDIGRAM: BJP's heavyweight Nandigram candidate Suvendu Adhikary cast his vote soon after polling began on Thursday morning.
Riding a bike, Adhikari went to the Nandanayak Bar Primary School around 7.30 to cast his vote.
Speaking to reporters, he said that he was confident that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is contesting the elections against him from the Nandigram seat, will lose the polls.
"I have a very old relationship with the people of the area. I have a personal relationship with almost every person in Nandigram. Pretty confident that I will win the election," Adhikari said.
"Entire villages have come out to vote in favour of the BJP," he added.
Adhikari said that he went to the polling booth on a bike as the road was too narrow for a car.
"I will urge the people to come out early and cast their votes. There were reports of problems at some booths but those have now been solved. The polling is happening peacefully," he said.
He said that he will try to visit all the booths in the constituency.
Further, the BJP leader claimed that the TMC has failed to depute agents in all the booths.
"It shows that Mamata Banerjee will not be able to win the elections," he said.
Adhikari exercised his franchise for the first time in Nandigram after becoming a voter of the constituency ahead of the elections.