There were sufficient reasons for the Election Commission of India to heave a big sigh of relief as the first round of elections for Bengal’s three parliamentary constituencies of Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri passed off without any loss of life though reports of “stray incidents of clashes, stone-pelting or booth capture,” came in from many areas.
Polling passed off peacefully amid stray incidents of violence and complaints of booth capture by both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP, sources in the ECI said adding the three constituencies witnessed a brisk polling of about 77.5 percent till 5 pm. The polling percentage was likely to go beyond 82 percent as many voters were still standing in the queue.
While Cooch Behar recorded a comparatively high polling rate of 77.73 percent, about 75.54 percent voters voted at Alipurdar whereas Jalpaiguri witnessed about 79.33 percent voters exercising their franchise.
The BJP had won all the three seats in 2019.
Though there was no official statement coming from the ECI till reports last came in sources said by 12 pm the Commission had received more than 100 complaints from Cooch Behar alone where more than a dozen local TMC and BJP leaders had to be hospitalized following stray incidents of violence at Dinhata, Sitalkuchi.
Bombs were recovered from various places including Dinhata but none died of bombing a senior police officer at Cooch Behar said. One of a voter was damaged in stone-throwing whereas a TMC booth president had to be hospitalized after he was beaten by alleged BJP men.
At Dabgram Fulbari in Jalpaiguri constituency BJP local MLA Sikha Chatterjee was detained following heated exchanges with the police even as the TMC men complained that she was trying to influence voters. Chatterjee however said that she had gone following complaints of booth capture.
Similar incidents took place at Sitalkuchi where the local TMC supporters raised slogans after BJP MLA Baren Chandra Burman. The saffron MLA said, “I went to the area after we learnt that the TMC had captured several booths and were casting false votes,” the leader however had to beat a retreat after a large number villagers assembled in the area.
Four persons were killed at Sitalkuchi during the 2021 State Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lambasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for allegedly “misusing the central forces.”
Complaining that the members of the State police had been made to sit idle Banerjee said, “both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister should remember that they are only leading a care-taker government which has no power … whereas in Bengal we are leading an elected Government … still the State police is not being used and they (Centre) are misusing the central forces … how can the central forces allow loot of votes.”
She said “I love central forces. But I oppose using them as BJP members. I want to ask the EC why central forces are being used in Cooch Behar in such a way? How do you expect a free and fair election in such a situation? It is a matter of shame that the EC has become a BJP commission.”
Her Cabinet colleague Udayan Guha who represents Dinhata sub-division in Cooch Behar said “the BJP, and CAPF, has unleashed a reign of terror to rig the elections… in many areas they have joined hands to beat up our workers.”
Even as the TMC leaders’ refrain tended to bring broad smile in the faces of the BJP a top State saffron leader said, “her moaning says it all … they have failed to capture booths in a big way and have been given their own medicine by our men … this means that they are losing.”
Junior Union Home Minister Nisith Pramanik who is the BJP candidate from Cooch Behar however said that “the TMC is crying because it has sensed defeat … they tried to use threat but failed.”
His party colleague and BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul too alleged that Bengal had “turned into a new Bihar” in the wake of repeated incidents of electoral violence. Paul is contesting from Midnapore constituency this time round.
Back to North Bengal, in the first phase, a total of 56,26,108 voters including 28,62,494 men, 27,63,506 women and 108 third-gender were to exercise their franchise in 5,814 booths.
While 112 companies of central forces and 4,500 State police men were deployed at Cooch Behar the figure for Alipurduar is 63 companies of CAPF and 2,500 State police respectively. About 75 companies of central forces and 3,000 State police men were deployed at Jalpaiguri.
Regards,
Saugar
