Polling is underway for nine Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal during the seventh phase on Saturday, marked by widespread violence and tension. Clashes erupted in the Satuliya area of Bhangar within the Jadavpur constituency near Kolkata between supporters of the Indian Secular Front (ISF) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). Several ISF members were injured in the confrontation, which saw the use of country-made bombs.
In Kultali, South 24 Parganas district, an angry mob stormed polling stations, seizing an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and throwing it into a nearby pond. This incident was triggered after polling agents were allegedly barred from entering the booths, prompting local residents to retaliate by seizing the EVM equipped with Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) and discarding it.
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Today morning at 6.40 am Reserve EVMs & papers of Sector Officer near Benimadhavpur FP school, at 129-Kultali AC of 19-Jaynagar (SC) PC has been looted by local mob and 1 CU, 1 BU , 2VVPAT machines have been thrown inside a pond.— CEO West Bengal (@CEOWestBengal) June 1, 2024
“Today morning at 6.40 am Reserve EVMs & papers of Sector Officer near Benimadhavpur FP school, at 129-Kultali AC of 19-Jaynagar (SC) PC has been looted by local mob and 1 CU, 1 BU, 2 VVPAT machines have been thrown inside a pond…FIR has been lodged by Sector Officer and necessary action has been initiated. Poll process in all six booths under the Sector is running uninterrupted. Fresh EVM and papers have been provided to the Sector Officer,” stated the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal.
In Sandeshkhali under Basirhat Lok Sabha, tensions flared late Friday night and continued into the early hours of polling. Local women armed with bamboo sticks protested against alleged threats from Trinamool Congress (TMC) activists and state police. They accused associates of the now-suspended Trinamool leader Sheikh Shahjahan, who is currently imprisoned, of intimidating their families. State police, however, reported that the unrest began after local BJP supporters assaulted civic volunteers.
In Canning, South 24 Parganas district, clashes broke out between TMC and BJP supporters within the precincts of Itkhola Gram Panchayat. Stone-pelting incidents were reported, resulting in injuries to a media personnel. The Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, and BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared videos of the protests, accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of using party goons and state police to intimidate voters.
In Bhangar, further clashes between TMC and All India Secular Front (AISF) activists occurred early Saturday, injuring a woman AISF activist. Additionally, the vehicle of AISF candidate Nur Alam Khan was vandalized, allegedly by Trinamool supporters.
Polling for the nine Lok Sabha seats, including Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin, and Kolkata Uttar, began at 7 am under stringent security measures and will continue until 6 pm. Prominent candidates in this phase include Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee from Diamond Harbour, BJP’s Rekha Patra from Basirhat, and CPI(M)’s Sujan Chakraborty from Dum Dum. The polling is being conducted under heavy security, with 1,020 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) deployed in the state, 978 of which are on polling duty. A total of 1,960 quick response teams (QRTs) are on standby statewide to address any tensions.
