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Lok Sabha elections 2019: Polling for hill seats ends amid clashes in West Bengal
Stray violence marred polling for three West Bengal Lok Sabha seats in the second phase of the 17th general election on Thursday.
Stray violence marred polling for three West Bengal Lok Sabha seats in the second phase of the 17th general election on Thursday. Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Raiganj went to the polls on Thursday, after Cooch Behar and Alipurduars voted in the first phase on April 11.
Two central observers said the situation was largely peaceful. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukul Roy said incidents of violence were fewer than on April 11 thanks to the deployment of central forces.
The voter turnout in the state was 76.42%. By 3 pm, 65.43% of the total electorate of 4,932,356 had cast their votes.
“(The situation is) more or less peaceful. Small incidents will always happen,” said central special police observer for West Bengal, Vivek Dube, around midday.
Among incidents of violence, the car of Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s leader Mohammed Salim, who is the incumbent member of Parliament and the Left candidate in Raiganj, came under attack allegedly by supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
“Several booths were captured by TMC and the presiding officer and the state police personnel stood helplessly,” alleged Salim, who is facing a tough challenge from Congress’ former MP Deepa Dasmunshi, BJP’s Debasree Chaudhuri and TMC candidate Kanaia Lal Agarwal.
The BJP alleged that TMC-backed troublemakers fired in the air outside a polling booth at Ghughudanga within Jalpaiguri constituency, which the BJP hopes to wrest from the TMC.
Poll officials said they had no confirmation of the incident.
In Kalimpong under the Darjeeling constituency, which the TMC is trying to wrest from the BJP, a polling agent of the latter party, Topden Tshering Bhutiya, was attacked.
