Scu es, protests mar polling in three Bengal constituencies
The polls were largely peaceful with over 77.57 % people exercising their franchise across these three seats till 5 p.m., says EC; voter sustained injuries in his eye while coming out of polling booth in Sitalkuchi; crude bombs recovered Cong. asks EC to
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An elderly woman being assisted as she arrives to cast her vote in Kurung Kumey district on Friday.
A newly married couple after voting in Udhampur on Friday.
◣ poradic incidents of scu¨es between supporters of political parties, recovery of crude bombs and angry protests against MLAs were witnessed during polling for the rst phase of the Lok Sabha election in West Bengal on Friday.
Elections were held to the three seats of Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar in the State, and the Election Commission said voting was largely peaceful with over 77.57% people exercising their franchise across the three seats till 5 p.m.
The voter turnout at Cooch Behar was 77.73%, while that in Jalpaiguri was 79.33% and in Alipurduar 75.54%. Polling continued till 6 p.m. and the polling gures are expected to rise.
The Cooch Behar constituency, where the EC had deployed 112 companies of Central armed police forces, was rife with allegations from political parties against each other. A voter sustained injuries in his eye in Sitalkuchi when he was coming out after voting. A BJP supporter at Sitalkuchi said that he was attacked with a sickle on the way to vote.
SThere were reports of crude bombs being placed outside the house of a BJP booth president. Along with Sitalkuchi, there were reports of violence at Chandmari and Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar, where supporters of the BJP and the Trinamool Congress came face to face. Videos aired by local television channels showed supporters of the two parties throwing stones at some places and engaging in pushing and shoving.
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Voters show their identification cards as they wait in a queue at a polling station in Agartala.
Allegations were levelled against BJP supporters at Bhetaguri in Dinhata block, by Trinamool Congress supporters. The supporters of the State’s ruling party alleged that the BJP’s Cooch Behar candidate, Nisith Pramanik, was behind the attacks. Mr. Pramanik, who won the seat in 2019 with a margin of over 50,000 votes is pitted against the Trinamool candidate, Jagadish Chandra Basunia. Responding to the allegations of the Trinamool, Mr Pramanik said that people were resisting the ruling party.
Clashes, protests
A group of BJP supporters raised angry slogans at State’s Minister Udayan Guha at Dinhata. The crowd, mostly women, tried to gherao Mr. Guha.
Reacting to the incident, Union Minister of State for Home A©airs Nisith Pramanik said, “The Trinamool Congress wants to implement Sandeshkhali model across the State. He [Udayan Guha] got what he
◣ deserved.”
BJP MLAs Sikha Chattopadhyay from Dabgram Phulbari and Baren Chandra Barman also faced protests and slogans from supporters of the ruling party when they were visiting polling booths in their respective constituencies. When the police tried to arrest the BJP MLA Sikha Chattopadhyay at Siliguri, the BJP supporters clashed with the police.
‘Political bias’
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was campaigning at Hariharpara in Murshidabad district, raised allegations of political bias against the Central forces.
“I am not against Central forces but this is the
rst time that they (BJP) are using Central forces as their cadres,” Ms. Banerjee said. She raised questions on why only Central forces were used in Cooch Behar and the State police were not deployed.
In a related development, the ECI suspended the ocer-in- charge of two police stations — Shaktipur and Beldanga of Murshidabad district — citing that they ‘failed to contain & prevent repeated communal violence in the jurisdiction’.
The Congress on Friday accused the BJP of using “one particular issue” on social media to attract voters, and urged the Election Commission (EC) to take note of it.
“The BJP is using one particular issue on social media as an appeal to voters. This is a ¯agrant and blatant violation of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct, and also of numerous judgments of the Supreme Court,” Congress general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh said in a post on ◣.
Mr. Ramesh did not specify which “the issue” was but, other informed leaders, who did not want to be quoted, said that the BJP has been using the matter of Ram Temple to seek votes.
The Congress has neither ocially identi ed the issue nor lodged any complaint with the EC.
On Friday, the ocial ◣ handle of the BJP’s Bihar unit put out a post that read, “If you are going to vote, remember this. Who built the temple for Lord Ram?”
“We hope that the @ECISVEEP will take immediate note and put a stop to such appeals,” Mr. Ramesh tweeted.