78.09 per cent voter turnout in WB till 5 pm

 

 

WEST Bengal recorded over 78 per cent turnout in the fifth phase of its Assembly poll amidst incidents of violence and attack on a candidate on Saturday after the bloodshed in the previous round of election. An EC official said around 78.09 per cent of the 1.13 crore voters exercised their franchise till 5 pm in 45 seats spread across North 24 Parganas, Purba Bardhaman and Nadia districts in south Bengal and Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts in the north. The highest 81.73 per cent votes were cast in Jalpaiguri district, followed by Purba Bardhaman (81.72 per cent), Nadia (81.57 per cent), North 24 Parganas (74.83 per cent), Darjeeling (74.31 per cent) and Kalimpong (69.56 per cent), he added.

 

“By and large polling has been peaceful in Bengal today barring a few incidents of violence,” the official said. The security personnel maintained a tight vigil and addressed a few incidents that were reported, an official at the election office said. BJP State vice-president and Kamarhati candidate Raju Banerjee was attacked by alleged TMC supporters in his constituency. Banerjee claimed that bricks were hurled at his car and he was injured in his finger. The TMC has denied allegations. In Shantinagar area of Bidhannagar, a clash broke out between TMC and BJP supporters with both sides accusing each other of stopping the voters from going to the polling booths.

 

Bricks and stones were hurled injuring eight people, officials said adding a huge contingent of Central forces was rushed to the spot to control the situation, they said. TMC MLA Sujit Bose and BJP candidate Sabyasachi Dutta visited the spot to take stock of the situation. In Baranagar BJP candidate Parno Mitra was gheraoed allegedly by TMC activists when she was touring the constituency. The TMC has denied the allegations and claimed that she was trying to influence the voters on polling day. Mitra claimed that TMC activists misbehaved with her, following which she lodged a complaint with the EC. At Santipur in Nadia district the TMC alleged that personnel of the central forces were asking voters to return, a charge rubbished by the authorities.

 

The party had also claimed that a polling booth in Bardhaman Uttar constituency was captured by BJP. The allegation was denied by the saffron party and poll officials said that no such incident had taken place. The police and central forces had to resort to lathicharge to disperse TMC and BJP activists, who clashed over voters being allegedly not allowed to go to the booths in Kalyani. A BJP worker was critically injured after bombs were thrown at him allegedly by TMC activists while he was returning home after casting his vote in Gayeshpur constituency. The TMC denied the allegation and a large contingent of central forces was sent to the area to control the situation.