Clashes were reported from several of the 152 constituencies across 16 districts that went to polls in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections on Thursday, with sporadic incidents of violence also recorded the previous night.
Tensions flared in parts of Murshidabad, Birbhum, Cooch Behar and Dakshin Dinajpur, where rival party workers allegedly clashed, crude bombs were hurled and candidates faced attacks, even as security forces were deployed in large numbers to ensure a free and fair polling process.
Domkal and Nowada in Murshidabad, which accounted for the highest number of voter deletions after the adjudication process, saw clashes late on Wednesday night.
Tension prevailed at Raipur village in Domkal even on Thursday morning, with a section of voters at one polling station alleging that they were threatened with firearms and asked not to go to the polling station. Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) reached the spot and escorted the villagers to the polling station, officials said.
A clash between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) at Raipur in Domkal left at least four people injured. In a separate incident at Shibnagar in Nowada, crude bombs were hurled following a clash between the TMC and the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), a party launched by former TMC MLA Humayun Kabir. Workers of both the TMC and AJUP later blocked roads.
Meanwhile, Suvendu Sarkar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Kumarganj in Dakshin Dinajpur, was allegedly assaulted by workers of the TMC outside a polling station on Thursday while visiting booths.
Earlier in the day, Sarkar was seen chasing a TMC worker amid allegations that the latter had threatened one of his polling agents. Later, when he visited another polling station, he was reportedly attacked by TMC supporters. A video circulating on social media showed a group of people punching and dragging Sarkar, while his security guard attempted to shield him.
“TMC workers tried to attack me. A section of locals and my security guard rescued me. There were no police. I didn’t see the CAPF either,” Sarkar said.
Clashes were also reported from Labhpur and Murarai in Birbhum district. In Labhpur, workers of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) allegedly attacked a polling agent of Debasis Ojha, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate. In Murarai, two workers of the Indian National Congress were reportedly injured in a clash with TMC supporters.
At Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar district, a clash broke out between TMC and BJP workers, leaving a local BJP leader injured.
Meanwhile, Agnimitra Paul, the BJP candidate from Asansol South in West Burdwan, alleged that the rear windshield of her vehicle was damaged during stone pelting.
The Election Commission of India (EC) had put in place elaborate arrangements to ensure free, fair and violence-free polling. More than 2,400 companies of central armed police forces were deployed, along with large contingents of the state police, while webcasting was conducted at all 44,000 polling stations.
In 2021, there were large-scale allegations of post-poll violence after the results were declared on May 2 and the TMC returned to power for the third time in a row, winning 213 of the 294 assembly seats. The Calcutta High Court later ordered a CBI probe into the allegations.
