Even as a blazing sun beat down at 43-plus degrees, reflecting the dogfight going down below among the BJP and the Trinamool workers, intermittent violence marred the fourth phase of electionsmostly in Birbhum and Behrampore and to some extent in Asansol and Burdwan districts.
Thankfully however, no one was killed on account of poll-related violence till sun down save the two persons who died of heart attack due to scorching heat. Notwithstanding heavy deployment of Central forces Bengal lived up to its (ill) reputation as the workers of both the outfits armed with bombs and lathis clashed against each other in various parts of Birbhum, Bahrampur, Burdwan East and Burdwan Asansol.
And amid the environment of violence TMC leader and Birbhum strongman claimed his party would willy-nilly clinch the two seats of Birbhumand Bolpur under his command by more than 5 lakh and 7 lakh votes. “If I fail to do so I will quit,” he bragged triggering an Opposition onslaught wondering “what led him to give such a massive prediction.”
The BJP promptly approached the EC demanding a re-poll in all the booths of the two seats. Amid “attacks and counterattacks” that saw Union Minister Babul Supriyo’s car getting smashed by alleged MC goons at Baraboni in Asansol the State saw a brisk polling. The State had witnessed about 77 per cent polling with maximum number of voters coming out to vote in Bolpur — 79 per cent and Bolpur and Ranaghat — with about 78.33 per cent.
Reports of violence poured in from Hasibpur village in Nalhati Assembly segment in Birbhum where alleged TMC supporters stopped the voters from going to polling booth leading to a violent backlash. A BJP supporter received head injuries while another got a fractured hand in the fight, sources said adding there was no CAPF to escort them for voting.
Throughout Sunday night armed Trinamool goons knocked our doors and warned us against going to vote. In the morning when we tried to proceed to the booth they attacked us and we retaliated,” said a Haru Mondal one of the scores of BJP supporters who had gathered outside a TMC workers house whose wife and daughter begged for life from the first floor.
Before the police came in and restored peace several rounds of skirmishes led at least half-a-dozen activists from both the parties injured, locals said.
At Kanandighi village in Dubrajpur block in Birbhum district the central forces resorted to firing in the air after villagers gathered outside the booth and stoned it. “The guard fired in self-defence when miscreants tried to enter the booth,” said an ECI official while Birbhum TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal said “the people revolted after the CAPF tried to influence them to vote for the BJP.”
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “the CAPF has fired inside the booth but they are not empowered to do so. Lawn and order is State subject. I heard they are influencing the people to vote for the BJP.”
Cut to Beldanga in Behrampore constituency: Alleged miscreants hurled bombs, jammed booths and confined more than 700 voters inside Mirzapur village even as frantic calls to the sector office yielded no result.
“We are crying for police help but no police is to be seen from the morning. They (read TMC) have confined us in the village. If we venture out towards the booth they will kill us. They have already said that we will me murdered if we go there,” said Sheikh Bulbul with the polling day death at neighbouring Murshidabad constituency still fresh in his mind.
“I don’t want to die like a dog. Don’t ask me to go to vote. Please go away,” said a woman. “Even the Press people are at risk. Go back to your Kolkata. This is not the place for you.”
Another voter refusing to be named said, “We have not been voting since several years. That is our fate. Others vote for us. They take our voting slip, Aadhaar, epic card and go away. If we claim them back we will get the sticks. They will stop all the Government facilities like Kanyashree, free rice, and even will take back the cycle that our daughters have got from the Government.”
Even as you leave Mirzapur to its fate a CPI(M) agent comes running to say “there is no opposition agent there. All have been driven out. Even the BJP which is in power in the Centre has been driven out.” Back at Bahrampur city ruled by Congress MP and former Union Minister Adhir Chowdhury for the past more than 20 years reports of booth-jamming and stone pelting came in from various places.
At KN College and BT College, Chowdhury had to intervene himself, receiving complaints that the miscreants had taken control of the booth and were rigging elections. “After seeing me they ran away,” Chowdhury said. Curiously Chowdhury like the Left leaders complained about a “setting” (read adjustment) between the BJP and the TMC saying “the central forces were active only in booths were the BJP has a chance and refused to intervene where the Congress and the Left were attacked.”
Incidentally only 454.5 percent booths of Behrampore got CAPF deployment “whereas I was informed that EC will keep 98 percent booths under CAPF.”
At Raniganj and Baraboni protester raised slogans against Union Minister Babul Supriyo and damaged his vehicle when he challenged the bystanders who had gathered outside the booth. “They were TMC goons who were jamming the booth with the intention of rigging,” Supriyo said while the locals alleged he was “unnecessarily creating problem when polling was going on peacefully.”
Reports of violence also came in from Raina block in Burdwan East constituency where the voters blamed CAPF of false vote complacency.
