West Bengal Assembly poll: Around 75.06 pc turnout recorded in 7th phase

Kolkata: Except for some stray incidents of violence, the elections were largely peaceful with the turn out to be around 75.06 per cent in the seventh phase West Bengal Assembly election to 34 seats which will decide the fate of 268 candidates amid unprecedented security arrangements.

Murshidabad district saw the highest turnout at 80.37 per cent, followed by Dakshin Dinajpur (80.25 pc), Malda (78.76 pc) and Kolkata South (60.03 pc), as per the EC’s voter turnout app.

These numbers are likely to increase after polling ends at 1830 hrs, as per the Election Commission.

Stray incidents of violence were reported from some areas where voting is underway for the seventh phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal.

Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee today demanded the withdrawal of central forces in the next phase of polling in a bid to contain Covid spread in the state while welcoming Madras High Courts observations that the Election Commission could not avoid blame for the spread of the pandemic.

Ms Banerjee cast her vote at a polling booth in south Kolkata’s Bhabanipur.

The TMC supremo, a resident of Harish Chatterjee Street, exercised her franchise at a polling booth in Mitra Institution School around 1550 hrs. On a wheelchair, she briefly paused before photojournalists while coming out amid shouts of “Didi, Didi”, before boarding her car.

She also showed a victory sign towards the cameras.   

The TMC supremo also claimed that her party would secure 200 seats while the BJP may go up to 80 seats.

A few incidents of the scuffle were reported from the Asansol area, where Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Sayoni Ghosh claimed that BJP activists tried to jam booths. 

The allegation was dubbed as baseless by BJP candidate Agnimitra Paul, who asserted, “Ghosh is making excuses sensing defeat”.

Ms Paul alleged that a Trinamool Congress polling agent was wearing a cap with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s photo on it, at a polling booth in Baktarnagar High School.

She said that the presiding officer said he was unwell and didn’t see the cap.

“EC has said that you can’t wear anything that has your party’s symbol or a political leader’s picture. This is Mamata Banerjee’s trick. She knows people won’t vote for her. Her time is up,” Ms Paul added.

There was a commotion in Rash Behari constituency after BJP candidate Lt Gen (retd) Subrata Saha’s agent Mohan Rao was accused of molesting women voters inside a polling booth in the New Alipore area, police said.

Mohan Rao was detained after several women voters claimed he tried to drag them holding their hands inside Bidya Bharati School, a police officer said.

“We have received a complaint in this regard and a probe is underway,” he said.

Rao, however, rubbished the allegations and said no such incident had taken place.

A Trinamool worker assaulted at Farakka in Murshidabad. Meanwhile, a voter died at Domkal in Murshidabad due to a heatwave.

In the Jamuria constituency in Paschim Bardhaman district, Left Front candidate Aishe Ghosh alleged that her party agents were stopped from entering the booth by TMC workers

Trinamool Congress candidate from Rashbehari (Kolkata) Debashis Kumar alleged that he was not allowed to enter many booths by central forces

BJP candidate from Raninagar Masuhara Khatun alleges attack on her car by TMC activists

BJP polling agent Sankar Sarkar alleged he was forcefully pushed out of booth no.91 by TMC members and made to leave the spot in Bakhra village of Ratua, Malda.

A TMC member said, “He is not a voter here so we asked him to leave respectfully. Nobody threatened him.”

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee after casting his vote at Mitra Institution in Bhabanipur, said, “Extremely confident that Mamata Banerjee will be back with 2/3rd majority...People are dying but EC is conducting 8-phase polls to benefit a party.”

TMC candidate from Bhabanipur constituency, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, after casts his vote at Manmatha Nath Nandan Boys and Girls School said, “People will vote for Mamata Banerjee and her projects as her development has reached all homes. This election is being held on those issues.”

“I have been in politics since 1962, but this is the first time I am voting for myself,” he added.

TMC MP Nusrat Jahan after cast her vote said, “Why was the Election Commission sleeping all this while? Only when Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided he won’t hold any public meetings, the EC decided to call off all public meetings.”

“It listens to the prime minister and home minister more than anyone else,” she added. (UNI)