Umroi, Jan 25 : Voting has begun for the assembly by-election at Bhadohi reserve segment in Sant Ravidas Nagar in Uttar Pradesh this morning.

The polling will decide the fate of sixteen contestants. The main contenders are from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP_.

Three hundred sixty five polling booths have been set up for three lakhs forty five thousand voters to cast their votes. One hundred fifty three polling booths have been identified as sensitive.

Jalpaiguri, Feb 25 : The Indian Army and Air Force conducted a joint exercise in West Bengal''s Jalpaiguri district to test battlefield preparedness.

Troops of the Trisakti Corps of the Indian Army and Air Force personnel held a firepower demonstration at the Bagrakote firing range on Tuesday.

Some of the most powerful weapons in the Indian armory like Bofors guns, T-27 guns from the artillery and MiG-27, MiG-17 and Cheetah helicopters from the Air Force took part in the exercise.

Officials said the objective was to test battlefield tactics.

Kolkata, Feb 25 : The West Bengal Election Commission has called a meeting of all political parties here today to discuss Lok Sabha poll preparedness.

The West Bengal state secretariat meeting of the CPI(M) unanimously decided on Monday to field fresh faces in several vital constituencies in the Lok Sabha polls. At least eight of the 19 sitting party MPs in the state will not contest this time.

The decision will have to be ratified by the party's state committee, which is meeting here on Tuesday. After this, there will be a Left Front meeting on Thursday or Friday, which will decide Front candidates for the 42 constituencies in the state. Of the 42, 19 are with CPI(M), three each with CPI, Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party, six with the Congress and one with Trinamool.

Kolkota, Feb 22 : West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was on Sunday shown black flags by women activists of Bidhannagar Block Trinamool Congress when he was arriving at Salt Lake stadium here to lay the foundation stone of East-West Metro Railway.

The women activists started shouting "Go Back Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee" as soon as his convoy entered the stadium.

The activists alleged that the foundation laying programme was a mere gimmick to attract voters ahead of the parliamentary election.

Kolkota, Feb 22 : West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was on Sunday shown black flags by women activists of Bidhannagar Block Trinamool Congress when he was arriving at Salt Lake stadium here to lay the foundation stone of East-West Metro Railway.

The women activists started shouting "Go Back Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee" as soon as his convoy entered the stadium.

The activists alleged that the foundation laying programme was a mere gimmick to attract voters ahead of the parliamentary election.