76% turnout in West Bengal as final phase of polls ends
Clashes between BJP-Trinamul reported, crude bombs recovered CRPF IG’s visit to Tarapith Kali temple irks BJP, EC seeks report
West Bengal recorded 76.07 per cent polling at 35 seats spread over four districts in the eighth and final phase of Assembly elections which saw attacks on three BJP candidates allegedly by Trinamul Congress workers and street fights between the two political rivals with bombs and sticks in Kolkata and the districts on Thursday.
While Birbhum topped among the four districts with 81.87 per cent voting in 11 seats, it was followed by Malda with 80.06 per cent polling at six seats and Murshidabad with 78.07 per cent at 11 seats. Kolkata North, where seven hot seats went to the polls, recorded the lowest polling of the phase at 57.53 per cent. An
updated poll percentage is expected from the Election Commission on Friday.
Out of the 294 Assembly seats, now only two — Shamshergunj and Jangipur in Murshidabad — are left to go to the polls on May 16.
Among the three BJP
candidates, cars of Anirban Ganguly who is standing from Bolpur, and Tarakeswar Saha who is contesting from Nanoor were vandalised during their visits to Dharampur and Satua in Birbhum despite the deployment of 224 companies of Central
paramilitary forces and strict surveillance on TMC strongman by the EC. Both escaped unhurt.
The district also witnessed violent clashes between the TMC and BJP workers and bombs were recovered in Khoirasol.
In Labhpur, a senior Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer, Sangram Keshari Mohanty, deputed on poll-duty, visited the famous Tarapith temple in camouflage uniform with troops and offered puja to Goddess Kali. Mr Mohanty, CRPF inspector general (Odisha Sector), said, “This is my first visit here. I felt good. I had heard a lot about this place. It is my good luck to visit here. Since I am on election duty and tasked with supervision, I felt the urge to visit here. There is no problem in my visit as it is close to a booth. The conduct of the election has been good. We are assisting the state police as much as possible.”
Irked by his visit, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh tweeted a video of his puja and wrote, “During the peak polling time in Birbhum, the IG of the Central Forces (CRPF) is surprisingly seen offering puja at Tarapith. Is he aware of his own responsibility — and duty! It is a cause of grave concern for common people.”
Rattled by the controversy, the EC has sought a report with his explanation.
Meanwhile, BJP candidate Kalyan Choubey of Manicktala in Kolkata North claimed that TMC workers manhandled him and hit his car with sticks. In the morning two bombs exploded on the footpath in front of Mahajati Sadan on CR Avenue in Jorasanko. No one was injured. In CossiporeBelgachhia, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Santanu Sen, who recently tested Covid-19 positive, was seen casting his vote at a booth wearing a PPE.
In Murshidabad, a CPI(M) worker, Kader Mondal (50), died and three others were injured after Domkal TMC candidate Jafikul Islam’s long convoy allegedly hit them at Shahbazpur village hours before polling began. District CPI(M) leader Jamir Mollah alleged, “The villagers protested his visit and tried to block his convoy which, led by Mr Islam, dashed them while speeding away at around 12.30 am on Thursday.” Mondal’s family lodged a complaint at Domkal police station. Mr Islam, however, called it a road accident by someone else’s car.
At Laskarpur in Domkal, bombs were hurled near two booths on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The bomb disposal squad recovered two drums of crude bombs at a nearby bush. At Sarangpur, 10 bombs and 10 pieces of bows and arrows were recovered. At Jalangi, a BJP worker, Dilip Mondal, was attacked by TMC supporters. At Kandi, TMC armed miscreants beat a couple, Kartik and Baby Saha, and damaged their motorcycle for voting the BJP.