During the final phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, a mob reportedly threw Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines into a pond at polling booth numbers 40 and 41 in Kultai, South 24 Parganas. The incident occurred amid allegations that Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters had threatened the mob, leading to the chaotic response.
The West Bengal Election Commission swiftly addressed the situation, confirming that a First Information Report (FIR) had been filed and necessary actions were being taken. Despite the disruption, the Commission assured that the voting process continued without interruption. “This morning at 6:40 AM, reserve EVMs and papers of the Sector Officer near Benimadhavpur FP school in the 129-Kultali Assembly Constituency of the 19-Jaynagar (SC) Parliamentary Constituency were looted by a local mob. One Control Unit (CU), one Ballot Unit (BU), and two VVPAT machines were thrown into a pond. Sector Police were slightly behind. An FIR has been lodged by the Sector Officer, and necessary action has been initiated. The poll process in all six booths under the Sector is running uninterrupted. Fresh EVM and papers have been provided to the Sector Officer,” the Commission stated in a post on X.
Voting is currently taking place in nine Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal, along with 48 other seats across seven states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. As of 9 AM, the nationwide polling percentage stood at 11.31 percent, according to the Election Commission’s voter-turnout app. West Bengal reported a turnout of 12.63 percent by 9 AM.
In other states, Jharkhand recorded a voter turnout of nearly 12.15 percent, Uttar Pradesh logged 12.94 percent, Bihar 10.58 percent, and Himachal Pradesh 14.35 percent. Punjab saw a 9.64 percent turnout in the first two hours of polling, while Chandigarh registered 11.64 percent, and Odisha reported around 7.69 percent by 9 AM.
This phase of the elections involves more than 10.06 crore eligible voters, including nearly 5.24 crore men, 4.82 crore women, and 3,574 third-gender electors. High-profile candidates in this phase include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking a third term from Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi, former union minister and BJP stalwart Ravi Shankar Prasad (Patna Sahib), actress Kangana Ranaut (Mandi), Congress’ Manish Tewari (Chandigarh), TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee (Diamond Harbour), Samajwadi Party leader Afzal Ansari (Ghazipur), and Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh (Karakat).