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Sporadic incidents of violence and high voter turnout marked the final phase of voting in West Bengal. .
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), voter turnout stood at 73.40 per cent till 6.45 p.m. This was the highest among all the States that went to polls today.
Four urban constituencies of Kolkata North, Kolkata South, Dum Dum and Jadavpur; three semi-urban ones, Barasat, Basirhat and Diamond Harbour; and two rural ones, Joynagar and Mathurapur, went to polls.
All nine are Trinamool Congress (TMC) strongholds. But the BJP, which has emerged as the principal challenger, is eyeing to breach the citadel. The saffron party is eyeing a strong show in at least three to four of these nine seats.
The last phase was marked by allegations against the Central forces, with several Trinamool Congress leaders claiming the forces were intimidating people to vote for the BJP.
“The BJP is fomenting trouble and is using the Central forces to intimidate voters. The torture that BJP workers and Central forces have carried out today since the morning is unprecedented. I have never seen anything like this before,” said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjeeafter casting her vote.
Political analysts say that this was perhaps one of the strongest fights that the BJP has ever put up here. “Have you ever seen a ruling party candidate (TMC) cry about Opposition fomenting violence,” the analyst said on conditions of anonymity.
A clip emerged of TMC’s Barasat candidate and outgoing MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar arguing with the Central forces at a booth. She alleged that the Paramilitary personnel were “influencing voters”. One of the personnel has, however, claimed that he was “being framed” after TMC leaders failed to bribe him. Later, Dastidarstaged a dharna in front of a police station.
Two BJP candidates, Anupam Hazra in Jadavpur, and Nilanjana Ray in Diamond Harbour, and Union Minister Babul Supriyo, were attacked and heckled. Supriyo was gheraoed when he went to cast vote. Hazra, on the other hand, was heckled by TMC workers on multiple occasions and across different places in his constituency. Ray’s car was attacked at the Diamond Harbour.
The fight soon shifted to the Election Commission as the BJP shot off a letter alleging violence across majority of the nine Constituencies. The saffron party has filed 417 complaints.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, at a press conference, expressed apprehensions of “post-poll violence” and “narasanghar” (massacre) in Bengal.
She has demanded that Central forces be deployed in the State till the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in force. According to Sitharaman, the CM has vowed revenge “inch-by-inch” and that this might lead to a “massacre” in the State.
“Six constituencies of the nine in Bengal witnessed violence. The CM has vowed revenge inch-by-inch and this might lead to narasanghar (massacre). We demand that the Central forces be deployed till MCC is in force,” she said.
Swapan Dasgupta, a BJP MP in the Rajya Sabha, too, demanded that Central forces be deployed to maintain law and order after the polls.
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