Polling in four Bengal constituencies passes off peacefully

Kolkata, Oct 30 (IANS) Apart from some sporadic incidents the polling in four assembly constituencies in West Bengal passed off peacefully. In a comparatively low polling, Santipur in Nadia recorded the highest of 76.1 per cent and Khardha recorded the lowest of 63.9 per cent.

In the dying hours of polling a controversy erupted when BJP candidate in Khardah Joy Saha caught hold of a person alleging that he was trying to cast a false vote.

The incident at Bandipur in Khardah immediately triggered tension as the Trinamool Congress supporters started giving slogans and this prompted the central forces to resort to lathi-charge resulting in the injury of Aryadeep Sinha - son of late MLA Kajal Sinha's son.

Trinamool Congress candidate Sovondeb Chattopadhyay said, "There was nothing of this sort. The BJP candidate was trying to create disturbance and the central forces and the personal security of the BJP candidate resorted to lathi charge. Our supporters were injured in the process".

BJP candidate Joy Saha has refuted the allegation. The election commission, however, sought for a report from the district magistrate.

Chattopadhyay has been alleging of the excesses of the central forces since morning. "The agents are told that if they wear a badge then they will not be allowed inside the booths. This is my eighth election and I know the rules better than the forces. If the badge is in my name with the party's symbol, then they cannot be stopped," Chattopadhyay had said.

"The voters are also told that if they don't have a double vaccine then they will not be allowed inside the booths. This is weird. How can they dictate terms like this? Their only job is to see whether there is any problem outside the booth. The technical specifications will be handled by the Presiding officer. I have lodged a complaint with the election commission," Chattopadhyay added.

However, Dinhata in Coochbehar recorded a polling percentage of 69.9 and Gosaba in South 24 Parganas district recorded 75.9 per cent polling.

BJP candidate in Santipur Niranjan Biswas alleged that voters are not being allowed to come out of their houses to exercise their franchise. "Some of our supporters are being threatened so that they don't go to the polling station. The Trinamool Congress goons are forcing them to stay indoors. I have lodged a complaint with the election commission," Biswas said.

EC officials however said, they looked into the issues but nothing substantial was found. "Polling is continuing on peacefully in the constituency at present," the official had said.

The Election Commission had made an extensive arrangement for bypolls and deployed 92 units of central police forces, out of which 8 companies would be retained for counting day on November 2.