The sixth phase of polling took place in Bengal on Thursday with 79.09 per cent voters exercising their franchise amid stray violence and police firing that left at least two persons hurt at Bagda in North 24 Parganas. The polling rate was likely to go higher as there were many people standing in the queues when reports last came in at 5 pm.
At Bagda the police had to fire three rounds, Election Commission of India sources said adding the police had to fire to disperse a crowd of about 250 people that had assembled and attacked the sector office. The angry locals were allegedly protesting against the police inaction against the TMC goons who had earlier vandalized a local BJP camp office.
The officer in-charge of Bagda police station and some other policemen had been injured in the skirmish, the ECI sources said.
Elsewhere at Aushgram in Birbhum a BJP candidate was allegedly beaten up by the TMC men whereas the saffron workers attacked TMC men at Habra in North 24 Parganas.
Similarly a Trinamool office was attacked at North Dum Dum whereas BJP and TMC men fought with bombs at several areas of Bhatpara, Jagaddal and Titagarh, sources said adding however that none was injured in the fight.
At least six persons, including a child, were injured at Titagarh after bombs were hurled indiscriminately police said. A large posse of police personnel and CPF jawans rushed to the area following the incident.
There were intermittent clashes between TMC and ISF workers at Amdanga in North 24 Parganas with each side blaming the other for bombing.
Notwithstanding, sporadic violence polling was brisk with 77.76 percent voters turning out at North 24 Parganas. In North Dinajpur 75.94 percent voters came to vote whereas the polling percentage at
Nadia was 82.67 percent. In East Burdwan the percentage of polling was 82.15 which was likely to go up further by several percentage points, sources said.
Polling on Thursday was conducted at 14,480 polling stations in 43 Assembly constituencies across parts of North 24 Parganas, Nadia, Uttar Dinajpur and East Bardhaman.
Among the 306 candidates whose political fate will be decided during this phase are heavyweights such as BJP’s national vice-president Mukul Roy, TMC ministers Jyotipriyo Mallick and Chandrima Bhattacharya, CPI(M) leader Tanmay Bhattacharya and film director Raj Chakraborty who is fighting on a Trinamool ticket.