HERE ALL ROADS LEAD TO POLLING STATIONS
Voters queue up to cast their vote at a polling station in Bihar’s Begusarai district on Monday during the 4th phase of India’s Lok Sabha elections. Barring sporadic clashes in West Bengal, polling was largely peaceful. —
kolkata — West Bengal state, crucial for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hopes of retaining power, took centre stage in India’s staggered general election on Monday after clashes broke out between supporters of his party and a regional bloc.
Incidents of violence in the state and EVM glitches in some areas were reported as 64 per cent turnout was recorded in 72 constituencies across nine states in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections.
In the heartland states, where the BJP had won 30 out of 32 seats in 2014, 62 per cent turnout was recorded in Rajasthan (13 seats), 53.12 per cent in Uttar Pradesh (13 seats) and 65.86 per cent Madhya Pradesh (6 seats).
West Bengal recorded a high turnout at 76.47 in the eight seats though clashes broke out between supporters of rival parties in Nanoor, Rampurhat, Nalhati and Suri areas of Birbhum seat, leaving several people injured.
In Barabani, BJP candidate from Asansol and Union minister Babul Supriyo’s vehicle was vandalised allegedly by TMC workers outside a polling station while in Dubrajpur area central security forces personnel reportedly opened fire in the air to disperse irate people who attacked them when they were barred from entering the booths with mobile phones.
In Baharampur, sitting MP and senior Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury accused Trinamool workers of capturing booths and stopping voters from coming to the polling stations in certain areas.
Several people, including a woman, were injured after bombs were hurled by some unidentified miscreants at Hanskhali in Ranaghat constituency.
Reports of booth capturing and intimidating voters surfaced from at least three booths in Birbhum district’s Rampurhat and at Ketugram in East Burdwan.
Meanwhile, the police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the crowd after villagers and voters demanded deployment of central forces in Jemua in the Burdwan-Durgapur constituency.
The stakes are high for the BJP which had won 56 of the 72 constituencies in the 2014 polls. About 12.79 crore people were eligible for voting in the phase, which marked the start of polling in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh while elections came to an end in Maharashtra and Odisha.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Madhya Pradesh V L Kantha Rao said that during a mock-poll, electronic voting machines (EVMs) were replaced at 207 polling booths as some glitches were found. EVMs were also replaced at 106 polling booths after the voting began.
Polling was peaceful in Rajasthan, with tribal dominated seat of Banswara recording the highest voting percentage at 72.34, followed by Barmer which recorded 72.21 per cent voting, according to state election officials. Nearly 52 per cent voting was recorded in Maharashtra (17 seats), 64.05 per cent Odisha (6 seats), 53.67 per cent Bihar (five seats) and 63.42 per cent Jharkhand (3 seats), according to data provided by the Election Commission till 6pm.
In Kulgam district of Anantnag constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, 10.3 per cent polling was recorded, amid isolated incidents of stone pelting. This was the second of the three-phase polling in the sensitive seat.
Billionaires and Bollywood stars lined up outside polling stations along with the common folks in Mumbai, where polling was held in six constituencies.
Complaints of technical glitches in EVMs and VVPAT machines in some polling booths were addressed in Maharashtra, an election official said. In Uttar Pradesh, opposition Samajwadi Party’s alleged that many EVMs malfunctioned and in Kannauj, from where SP chief Akhislesh Yadav’s wife and sitting MP Dimple Yadav is contesting, several party workers were prevented from coming out of their homes to vote.
In Kanpur, BJP workers allegedly tried to barge into a polling booth and clashed with the police. A case has been registered against BJP leader Suresh Awasthi and six others in this connection, Kanpur District Magistrate Vijay Vishwas Pant said. Shahjahanpur (SC), Kheri, Hardoi (SC), Misrikh ( SC), Unnao, Farrukhabad, Etawah (SC), Kannauj, Kanpur, Akbarpur, Jalaun (SC), Jhansi and Hamirpur seats recorded 53.23 per cent polling till 5pm, an electoral officer said.
Reports were received of EVMs developing snag in Bidhauna area under the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat following which polling remained suspended for over an hour.
Complaints of EVM malfunctioning were also reported in Etawah under Auriaya district, with voters claiming they had to wait for hours at polling booths in Tilak Mahavidyalaya, Sahupur, Ajitmal and Dalelnagar to cast their votes. —