There were sporadic incidents of violence and brisk polling in the Wednesday's by-elections to four Assembly seats in Bengal which recorded about 66 percent polling when reports last came in at 5 pm. The polling rate was likely to go up by a few notches as there were long queues outside the polling station even after 6 pm, Election Commission of India sources said.
Violence was reported at several booths in Raiganj in North Bengal where a scuffle broke out between BJP candidate Manas Kumar Ghosh and Trinamool Congress workers. Ghosh is contesting against TMC's Krishna Kalyani. Raiganj witnessed about 67 per4cent polling, sources said.
There were several incidents of violence reported at Ranaghat South in Nadia district where alleged TMC workers pelted stones at BJP polling agent's house. There were alleged incidents of firing also, sources said adding incidents of violence mostly took place at Payradanga area of the constituency. Ranaghat recorded little more than 65 percent polling.
At Bagda in North 24 Parganas district as the BJP accused TMC activists of assaulting its booth agents and stopping its candidates from visiting some polling stations. The camp offices of the saffron outfit were ransacked by the TMC goons, sources said. BJP candidate said he was
attacked by the TMC men and had to flee the area. About 65.10 percent voters exercised their franchise at Bagda.
There was high drama at Maniktala constituency in North Kolkata where BJP candidate Kalyan Chaubey was attacked and his car chased by local TMC goons when he went to the Kankurgachi area to inspect reports of false voting.
"My vehicle was kicked and chased and I had to leave the area … there was literally no voting in Maniktala as there was rigging in many booths … it is farce in the name of polling," Chaubey said demanding re-polling in Maniktala.
Some other BJP leaders too said that the party would
move the Calcutta High Court against electoral violence. Ranaghat recorded a little more than 59 per cent polling till 5 pm.
The police had to chase away the crowd at one point of time as both sides proceeded to engage with each other with brickbats. In the melee, a number of media personnel received injuries. Your correspondent too tripped, fell and got a fractured finger.
Rejecting the BJP's claim TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that "the BJP leadership is making excuses because they know that they will be defeated in all the seats … there was not violence recorded … only in a few areas there were some heated discussions which is normal."
He said that the TMC was set to win the by-polls as it was tradition that "where a stable government is in power it is normal for its candidates to win the by-elections."
The by-polls are taking place against the backdrop of a massive win by the TMC in the recently concluded parliamentary elections which saw the TMC win 29 out of 42 seats whereas the BJP which had won 18 in 2019 managed to win only 12. The Congress won only one seat.
The Congress and the Left too contested in the by-elections. In the present context out of the four seats the BJP had won three in 2021 Assembly elections
and the TMC had won one. All the BJP candidates had however changed sides and joined the TMC in subsequent days.