The fourth round of elections for six Jangalmahal parliamentary constituencies passed off amid repeated allegations of violence and booth-capturing with the Opposition parties demanding re-polling in more than 300 booths.
“Booths were captured in all the Danton in Medinipur, Vishnupur, Bankura, Jhargram and Asansol,” both the left and the BJP said adding their candidates who went to enquire into the complaints were heckled while the TMC men roamed inside the booths.
“Polls were not free and fair in many places and the State police were acting to the benefit of the ruling Trinamool Congress,” CPI(M) State secretary Biman Bose said adding about 100 booths in Vishnupur where there was no CRPF experienced massive rigging. Similarly 15-20 booths were captured in Bankura and about 30 booths were captured in Medinipur seat where Marxist candidate Prabodh Panda was heckled by alleged TMC men.
At Asansol, BJP candidate Babul Supriyo was gheraoed and was forced to go back from two booths where he went to inquire into the complaints of rigging. “There has been massive rigging in many places and we will demand re-poll in all these booths,” he maintained.
At Medinipur, polling in 40 booths were rigged with the ruling party men turning or covering the lens of the video camera, State Opposition leader Suryakanto Mishra said alleging in many booths the voters were threatened to remain indoors and in other areas “perfumes were used on the buttons indicating Trinamool symbol so that the voters could be checked after they come out of the booth as to whether they had voted for the Trinamool or not.”
Notwithstanding the six constituencies saw a brisk polling till 5 in the evening with Bankura recording 80.55 per cent, Purulia recording 78.75 per cent while 85.12 per cent voters exercising their franchise in Vishnupur. The figures for Medinipur, Asansol and Jhargram were 81.45 per cent, 75.47 per cent and 87.88 per cent respectively.
Meanwhile in a rare incident of persecution of opposition workers, a breast of a relative of a CPI(M) polling agent in Arambagh constituency was reportedly chopped off by alleged Trinamool men, police sources said adding the victim was undergoing treatment.
Pranab Paan the agent had defied Trinamool directives and had worked at the polling booth for his party during the polling day on April 30. Arambagh, Hooghly, Howrah, Bolpur and Birbhum had seen massive rigging on that day.