Sporadic violence hits 1st of 7 phases
KOLKATA: Sporadic incidents of violence marred the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal’s three seats, with reports of clashes emerging from Cooch Behar between workers of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), even as a 78.82% voter turnout was recorded till 11pm, officials familiar with the matter said.
Besides Cooch Behar, two other north Bengal seats — Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri — also voted in the first phase. In 2019 polls, the BJP had won the three seats. While Cooch Behar logged a voter turnout of 77.7%, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri recorded polling percentage of 75.5% and 79.3%, respectively, till 5pm. The overall turnout stood at 78.82% , according to the Election Commission’s Voter Turnout app.
The state will vote across all seven phases of the Lok Sabha polls. “The voter turnout in the three constituencies till 5pm was 77.57%. Barring a few sporadic incidents voting went off peacefully,” a senior EC official said. “ECI received 556 complaints from the three districts, of which 269 came from Cooch Behar.”
Though no casualties were reported in the clashes between the workers of the TMC and BJP
— the contest in the eastern state is largely between these two parties — some people were injured.
At Chandmari village near Cooch Behar town, workers of both parties clashed over placing an agent in a polling booth. One person was injured, officials said. Reports of violence also poured in from Bhetaguri in Dinhata block, where the TMC alleged that crude bombs were hurled and its block chief Anant Barman was injured and admitted to the hospital. The husband of a BJP panchayat member was arrested in the incident.
State minister Udayan Guha, who visited the village, faced a protest from women. “It was staged. BJP sent them,” Guha said. Union minister and BJP leader Nisith Pramanik hit back, saying Guha received what he deserved. “He is reaping what he has sowed all these years. One shouldn’t insult the common people...,” he said.