Lok Sabha elections 2019: Violent clashes roil south Bengal round

Violence lashed West Bengal on Monday as seven of the 42 seats in the battleground state went to the polls in the fifth phase of the ongoing national elections. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) won all seven seats in 2014.

Violence lashed West Bengal on Monday as seven of the 42 seats in the battleground state went to the polls in the fifth phase of the ongoing national elections. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) won all seven seats in 2014.

Voters stands in queue to cast their vote during the fifth phase of Lok Sabha Election. (ANI photo)

Over 11 million voters were eligible to vote across 13,290 polling booths while 83 candidates were in the fray. The voting was in the TMC stronghold of southern Bengal and reports of clashes, booth capture and explosions cast a shadow on the polling process .

Union minister Prakash Javadekar and Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate, Locket Chatterjee, demanded re-polling in Barrackpore and Hooghly, accusing TMC workers of “large-scale both-capturing and rigging”.

The BJP filed a complaint with the Election Commission alleging mass rigging of polling booths and violence. In a letter addressed to West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer, the BJP’s state unit alleged that TMC was indulging in widespread violence.

The TMC dismissed the allegations. “The truth will be captured by the media and monitored by the EC,” said TMC Barrackpore candidate Dinesh Trivedi.

CEO Aariz Aftab said, “Barring some stray incidents, polling was overall peaceful.”

The BJP’s candidate from Barrackpore, Arjun Singh, got into a scuffle with a policeman in Mohanpur area even as he alleged TMC-backed toughs assaulted him. Singh is a former four-time TMC state lawmaker.

TMC leader Jyoti Priya Mallick accused Singh of creating a drama “since he knew his defeat was certain”.

TMC candidate from Howrah, Prasun Banerjee, alleged central forces assaulted him. Chatterjee and Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s Rabin Deb claimed central forces were used ineffectively.

Aftab said barring some stray incidents of violence, the polling was overall peaceful.