Violence mars Bengal polls, 2 BJP candidates attacked


Kolkata, May 6 (IANS): From two BJP candidates getting attacked and bombs being hurled indiscriminately to political workers smashing an EVM and reports of large scale intimidation coming in from different places -- violence yet again marred polling in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal on Monday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Barrackpore, Arjun Singh, suffered injuries on his face after being allegedly attacked by Trinamool Congress supporters, while the car of the party's nominee from Hooghly, Locket Chatterjee, was reportedly targeted by Trinamool activists.

A few vehicles belonging to different media houses too bore the brunt of the violence during polling to the seven Lok Sacha constituencies in the state.

Violence erupted in North 24 Parganas' Barrackpore where former Railway Minister and sitting Trinamool MP Dinesh Trivedi is taking on his erstwhile "election-manager" Arjun Singh, who jumped ship to the BJP in March after being denied a ticket by the Trinamool leadership.

Singh sustained injuries on his face after being allegedly attacked by Trinamool Congress supporters outside a polling booth in the constituency's Aamdanga area.

Reacting to Singh's allegations, Trivedi said: "The truth will be captured by the media and monitored by the Election Commission. Moreover, Singh is a 'Baahubali', how can anyone attack him."

In Naihati, Singh was chased away by Trinamool workers shouting "Go back, Arjun Singh". He reached the spot after he heard that outsiders were allegedly scaring away the voters.

In fact, not just in Naihati, each time Singh went to a booth, Trinamool workers surrounded him and staged a demonstration causing disturbance.

In Dhanekhali in Hooghly Lok Sabha constituency, BJP candidate Locket Chatterjee's car was allegedly damaged by Trinamool workers near booth number 159, where the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) was also broken into pieces.

The Trinamool workers staged a noisy demonstration by surrounding Chatterjee, who had come to the booth after receiving reports of rigging by the ruling party workers.

Just after Chatterjee left the booth in her car, miscreants attacked and damaged the vehicle with bamboo poles and sticks. Some cars carrying mediapersons accompanying Chatterjee too came under attack and suffered damages.

Earlier, Chatterjee alleged that there were more than one Trinamool agent inside some polling stations in Dhanekhali, while her party agents were not allowed inside.

"I will not allow anyone to use their influence in voting. I am not at all happy with the deployment of the central forces as they are being misguided by the state police. It is not possible for a human being to keep running to different booths wherever such problems arise," she said.

Meanwhile, one person was injured after motorbike-borne miscreants rained bombs at Himli, part of the Gaighata Assembly segment under the Bangaon parliamentary constituency. One Trinamool worker sustained head injury in the bombings. His party colleagues alleged that the incident occurred immediately after BJP candidate Shantanu Thakur from Bangaon made a round of the area.

In Gayeshpur in Bangaon, the central forces were seen dispersing the crowd near some polling booths. Outsiders trying to hide in the houses of the locals were also caught by the central forces.

A shocking incident, voters in Bijpur under the Barrackpore constituency were called back from their homes for casting their vote for a second time following some technical glitches. The presiding officer said that on the first occasion, polling had started mistakenly without erasing the mock poll results.

In a booth in Tarakeshwar under the Arambag Lok Sabha constituency, a local Trinamool leader was seen influencing the voters and constantly entering or coming out of the booth. As per sources in the Election Commission, the presiding officer of the said booth was immediately removed.

After reports of violence and death of a voter in the previous phases, the Election Commission has decided that all the polling stations in the state will be manned by the central forces. Altogether, 578 companies of central forces have been mobilised to assist the state police.

  

Top Stories

Comment on this article

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Mon, May 06 2019

    No one wants BJP ...

    DisAgree [13] Agree [15] Reply Report Abuse

  • j.anata, Mangaluru / Bengaluru

    Mon, May 06 2019

    Actually you've not understood gravity of situation in WB.
    TMC goons are not allowing other parties supporters including BJP, Congress and Left to put in their franchise. This is un-democratic way.

    DisAgree [11] Agree [9] Reply Report Abuse

  • Mr Clean, Mangalore

    Mon, May 06 2019

    Undemocartic way is your BJP party way. What are you bragging about???. Wherever BJP exists there is undemocartic life. Its always BJP Vs a opponent fighting in retaliation.

    DisAgree [5] Agree [8] Reply Report Abuse


Leave a Comment

Title: Violence mars Bengal polls, 2 BJP candidates attacked



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.