Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Lok Sabha from Medinipur, Agnimitra Paul, accused the West Bengal Police of arresting several party polling agents and forcibly removing one from the booth on voting day.
“They (TMC) have removed our polling agent. The TMC kidnapped him and took him away. When I received the information I came here. He was crying here. I have taken him inside and made him sit,” Paul stated to ANI on Saturday.
“At various places, our polling agents are not being allowed to sit. Yesterday night, the police has taken away several of our polling agents from their houses and also took them to court. At various places, we did not have a polling agent in the morning,” she added.
Paul also alleged that a West Bengal Police official was inside a polling booth and influencing voters.
“The West Bengal Police official was making people vote by standing next to the booth,” Paul mentioned.
Furthermore, the BJP leader was involved in a verbal altercation with a police official after her convoy was halted at Kismat Angua in Bonpura village in Medinipur.
“They are trying to slow down my movement. Bengal police are doing this. I have shown the permission that I have to the police but he was asking me why don’t I have the hard copy. I have the soft copy,” Paul expressed.
#WATCH | Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal | BJP candidate from Medinipur Lok Sabha seat, Agnimitra Paul says, "Our polling agents are not being allowed to sit inside the polling booth. Last night, the police picked up many of our party workers and polling agents. At Keshiary, our… pic.twitter.com/jIxDOMLzT3
— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2024
The BJP replaced the incumbent MP of Medinipur, Dilip Ghosh, with the party’s state Mahila Morcha president, Agnimitra Paul, as its candidate for the Medinipur Lok Sabha seat.
Meanwhile, the TMC nominated actor-turned-politician June Maliah as its candidate. The CPI(M) and Congress selected Biplab Bhatta and Sambhunath Chattopadhyay respectively as their candidates.
Besides Medinipur, voting is underway at Tamluk, Kanthi, Ghatal, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, and Bishnupur constituencies in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state on Saturday.