Lok Sabha Elections 2019: BJP Bengal chief takes on TMC veteran in Medinipur

Dilip Ghosh, BJP’s Bengal unit chief, alleged that TMC workers attempted to rig polls in booths in Dantan and Keshiyari during the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 12.

One of the eight constituencies in West Bengal that went to the polls on Sunday during the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Medinipur saw a turnout of 81.09%, according to the Voter Turnout app of the Election Commission of India. The seat saw a battle between two heavyweights — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s state unit chief Dilip Ghosh and Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s Manas Bhuniya.

BJP West Bengal President Dilip Ghosh alleged that TMC workers attempted to rig polls in booths in Dantan and Keshiyari.(Samir Jana/HT PHOTO)

In 2014, TMC won the seat with a margin of 186,000 votes, but BJP’s increasing support in various pockets of the constituency and the candidature of Ghosh — arguably the most popular BJP leader in the state — has made political analysts expect a photo finish.

Of the 1,930 polling stations, reports of trouble and tension came from only about a dozen. Ghosh, an MLA, alleged that TMC workers attempted to rig polls in booths in Dantan and Keshiyari. TMC workers surrounded Ghosh’s car at Dantan. However, tension was averted as personnel from the Quick Response Teams of the security forces reached promptly.

Four TMC workers were injured in clashes that took place with BJP party workers in two separate incidents at Narayangarh area.