West Bengal panchayat elections: Sporadic violence reported

KOLKATA: Sporadic violence and booth capturing were reported from the three districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura during the first phase of panchayat elections in West Bengal on Thursday. Both the Congress and CPM have also alleged that Central forces were not used in many areas and the ruling Trinamool Congress took advantage of this and captured hundreds of booths. A Congress worker Dipankar Ghosh was shot at with arrows at Sabong in West Midnapore district. Ghosh is now undergoing treatment at a government hospital here. State election commission secretary Tapas Roy told reporters, “We have received reports of sporadic violence and scuffles in some places, specially Sabong.”

CM Mamata Banerjee told reporters at Writers’ Buildings that “polling has been peaceful in Jangalmahal and it is our great achievement.” Both the state election commission and state government had taken adequate security arrangements for holding the polls in Jangalmahal due to threats from the Maoists who had also given a call for boycotting of elections. But the electors ignored the Maoist and cast their ballots freely. The presence of ultras during the polling hours on Thursday was hardly felt. Over 150 companies of central force and 35,000 state armed police personnel were deployed to ensure a free and fair elections.

According to state election commission, 63% of votes were polled in West Midnapore district till 5 pm and polling in Bankura and Purulia was 51% and 59%, respectively. The polling percentage would have gone up as thousands of voters were still in the queue at different booths after the closure of polling hour at 5 pm.

Eleven persons were injured at Sabong in West Midnapore as Congress and TMC workers clashed. Among the injured was a TMC gram panchayat candidate. The opposition leader and CPM politburo member Surjya Kanta Mishra also had an altercation with TMC workers at Khakurda. CPIM state secretary Biman Bose and state Congress leader Abdul Mannan have made similar complaints regarding Thursday’s elections.