Multiple incidents of violence were reported during the elections to 107 municipalities across West Bengal on Sunday, PTI reported.
Voting had begun at 7 am and ended up at 5 pm. As of 1 pm, a voter turnout of 49.91% was recorded, according to the State Election Commission.
Clashes between supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the ruling Trinamool Congress were reported in Bhatpara Municipality, according to The Indian Express. In Barrackpore, an Independent candidate was beaten up, allegedly by TMC workers.
In Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality, electronic voting machines were damaged and the polling station was ransacked by unidentified goons, according to PTI.
In the Arambagh area of Hooghly district, candidates belonging to the Left Front were allegedly beaten up by members of the Trinamool Congress. The Trinamool Congress, however, denied the charges.
A release issued by the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata said that Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has called upon State Election Commissioner Saurab Das to brief him on the situation by 10 am on February 28.
“Das should be fully updated on developments in the election process held on Sunday, which prima facie indicates failure of democracy,” the release said.
Meanwhile, the BJP state unit condemned the violence in the state and wrote a letter to the West Bengal election commissioner demanding that the elections to 108 municipalities be declared as “null and void”, ANI reported.
The party also gave a call for a 12-hour state-wide bandh on February 28 as a protest against the violence, according to The Times of India.
BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh alleged that there was no rule of law in West Bengal, according to The Indian Express. “It is unimaginable that there will be no violence in West Bengal during an election,” he said.
The Trinamool Congress, however, described the incidents as “isolated ones”, according to Hindustan Times.
“Out of around 10,000 polling booths, incidents have been reported from only a handful,” party spokesperson Chandrima Bhattacharya said. “Opposition parties, especially the BJP, are trying to create trouble because they stand no chance of winning. Our workers have been told not to fall for any provocation.”
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