Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from West Bengal's Jhargram Pranat Tudu was allegedly attacked in Garbeta area of West Midnapore district. According to a PTI report, Tudu was on his way to Garbeta after hearing of complaints about BJP polling agents not being allowed inside some polling booths.
“All of a sudden, TMC goons who had blocked the roads started hurling bricks at my car. When my security personnel tried to intervene, they were injured. Two CISF jawans accompanying me received head injuries and had to be hospitalised,” Tudu was quoted by PTI as saying.
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"We could have been murdered if Central forces would not have been there...We did not get any protection from the local police...Didi doesn't want to impose CAA and make the country into Pakistan, Tudu told news agency ANI. Lok Sabha elections Full Coverage
A large police contingent was rushed to the area to control the situation.
However, the local Trinamool Congress leadership denied the allegations, saying,"The BJP nominee was threatening voters. The villagers got enraged and staged a protest." Vehicles belonging to various media houses were reportedly vandalised by the mob as well, the report added.
The BJP is defending Jhargram, an scheduled tribe-reserved seat it snatched from the ruling TMC in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But the TMC won all seven assembly segments of Jhargram in the 2021 assembly elections and reduced the saffron camp to naught.
Jhargram is among the eight of 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal voting on Saturday in the sixth phase of general elections. Of the 79 candidates in the fray, Bankura and Jhargram have the highest number of 13 contestants each, followed by Purulia (12) and nine each in Medinipur and Tamluk.
The counting of votes will take place on June 4.
(With PTI, ANI inputs)
The counting of votes will take place on June 4.
(With PTI, ANI inputs)