Kolkata, May 19 (UNI) Bengal recorded a moderate 40 per cent turnout till 1300 hours on Sunday in the seventh and final phase Lok Sabha eletion to nine Parliamentary seats of Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin and Kolkata
Uttar in Bengal.
Barring a few minor incidents of violence, the polling was going on by and large peacefully.
The fate of 111 candidates are in the hands of 1,49, 63,143 electorate.
Nearly 50 EVMs developed technical snag where the electorate at Kulogachi in Sonapur could not vote in the first three hours. Widespread EVM snags have also been reported from some booths of Basirhat, Diamond Harbour, North and South Kolkata LS constituencies leading to the delay in polling. Voting was delayed too in three booths at Nagerbazar area under Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency of West Bengal.
With the Trinamool pointing out that BJP leader Mukul Roy being an 'outsider' should stay away from the areas where elections are taking place on Sunday, an Election Commission official said he will abide by the rules. As per EC's Model Code of Conduct, all outsiders who do not belong to the constituency should not stay there after the end of the campaign.
The BJP accused TMC workers of casting proxy votes in Bengal's Jadavpur, while BJP candidate from Basirhat, Sayantan Basu alleged that TMC workers are not allowing people to cast their vote. Following violence in Basirhat, additional forces arrived at polling station number 189.
Meanwhile, bombs were hurled allegedly by TMC workers at booth number 6 at Madaripur in Islampur Bypoll today. Journalists were also allegedly attacked by the TMC.
TMC's Madan Mitra was involved in an altercation with central forces at booth number 37 at Kakinara High School. The booth came under Bhatpara Assembly seat. Mitra said, "Booth is our temple but Central forces are making a mockery of democracy. Why they will enter the booth. Even they don't allow the TMC voters."
The car of BJP candidate at Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency Anupam Hazra was vandalised and he faced protest while trying to enter a booth to protest alleged rigging.
A bomb was also hurled at Rabindra Sarani under Kolkata Uttar Parliamentary constituency, where two miscreants on bike hurled a bomb to scare away voters and create panic.
BJP leader Babul Supriyo today launched a virulent attack on Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee over the repeated incidents of violence and said, ' This is bound to happen when the Chief Minister of the state says 'she will take revenge'."
' They keep saying that I am the one spreading violence, but I am here to cast my vote...do you see any violence here? " Supriyo said.
Talking about the TMC's notice over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Kedarnath visit, he said, " It's up to the media to cover Mr Modi's visit or not. You cover Sachin when he votes. TMC should have clarity about their complaints, this is desperation in the face of defeat."
Meanwhile, BJP Candidate from Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency Anupam Hazra alleged booth capturing by the TMC activists and said female TMC goons are conducting proxy voting and marking people's fingers with ink.
' People are eager to vote for the BJP but TMC goons are not allowing them to vote, ' Hazra complained and said his car also came under attackand was vandalised.
He alleged it was done by the TMC workers who were trying to attack him.
"TMC is doing this because they fear defeat. My team has been attack, our polling officers were threatened and my workers have suffered injuries, ' said Hazra.
“ Women TMC workers with covered faces are casting proxy votes, it is difficult to establish their identity. When we raised objection to it, they created a ruckus at the polling station,” alleged Hazra at polling booth number 150/137 in West Bengal’s Jadavpur.
North Kolkata CPI(M) candidate Kaninika Bose (Ghosh) alleged that polling agents were beaten up and not allowed to sit inside the booths.
Bombs were also hurled in Basirhat as TMC and BJP workers clashed.
Additional forces arrived at polling station number 189 in Basirhat. BJP MP candidate from Basirhat, Sayantan Basu alleged that TMC workers are not allowing people to cast their vote.
Voters held protest outside polling station number 189 in Basirhat, alleging that TMC workers are not allowing them to cast their vote. The BJP candidate said, "100 people were stopped from voting. We will take them to cast their vote.
" BJP supporters blocked a road, alleging that TMC workers obstructed them from voting in Malancha that is under Basirhat constituency.
BJP candidate Nilanjan Roy in Diamond Harbour constituency alleged that his car was vandalised in front of police in Budge Budge area.
“Bike-borne goons came and vandalised my car. We have informed the EC and police super about the incident. The EC has failed to utilise the police and security forces. The poll panel has become a mute spectator. I have told police that trouble would take place here on polling day, ” said Roy.
The EC sought a report on two alleged incidents at booth number 219 in Baduria under Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency about the votes of two persons being cast by someone else.
Madan Mitra, a TMC candidate for Bhatpara by-poll, rushed to booth number 106 after aTMC polling agent was allegedly threatened and asked to leave by the presiding officer. During the process, he had an altercation with the paramilitary forces as he was prevented from entering the booth.
Around 710 companies of central forces have been deployed for the last phase after the state witnessed violence in the previous phases of the polling. Apart from general election observers and expenditure observers, the poll panel has for the first time deployed a special police observer and a special observer.
In another first, VVPAT are being used in all polling booths along with the EVMs, an Election Commission (EC) official said. Law and order in this phase are being maintained by 450 Quick Response Teams (QRT) and the state police, Special Observer Ajay V Nayak said.
" We have made all the arrangements. This time, there are 100 per cent CAPF (central armed paramilitary force) coverage and the law and order is being maintained in the district police locations with the help of the QRTs and the state police," he informed.
Mr Nayak said he, along with Special Police Observer Vivek Dubey, held a detailed review of the arrangements and have met all other observers, district officials, police commissioners and a team of central forces. The Election Commission (EC) is taking extra careful measures for the last phase. Additional five per cent EVMs are there at every centre.
Meanwhile, ahead of the last phase, clashes broke out last night between the BJP and Trinamool Congress workers at Bhatpara, a constituency where Assembly bypoll is being held on Sunday. Gunshots rang, bombs were hurled and two vehicles set on fire at Bhatpara, around 40 km from Kolkata, after a BJP leader was allegedly shot at in the area. Two cars parked in the area were also set ablaze.
Both parties blamed each other for the attack. The ruling Trinamool Congress claimed outsiders were brought into the area by the BJP who were allegedly behind the violence.
The two main contenders in the North 24 Parganas district are Madan Mitra of the Trinamool Congress and Pawan Singh of the BJP, son of BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Barrackpore Arjun Singh. Three years after his release from prison as an accused in the Saradha chit fund scam, Madan Mitra, a former minister in the Bengal government, was nominated by the Trinamool from Bhatpara.
Prominent candidates contesting the last phase Lok Sabha elections are former Union Minister of State for Urban Development in the Manmohan Singh government and sitting TMC MP Saugata Roy from Dumdum, sitting TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar from Barasat, TMC celebrity candidate and Bengali film actress Nusrat Jahan from Basirhat, Trinamool youth congress president and sitting MP Abhishek Banerjee from Diamond arbour, glamour girl of Bengali film industry & TMC candidate Mimi Chakraborty and former Kolkata Mayor and CPI(M) candidate from Jadavpur Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, sitting TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay and state BJP general secretary Rahul Sinha from Kolkata Uttar and State BJP vice-president and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s grandnephew Chandra Kumar Bose from Kolkata Dakshin.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress on Sunday dashed off a letter to the Election Commission against the coverage of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Kedarnath yatra, which the party described as 'violation of the model code of conduct'.
“ Even though the Election campaign for the last phase of polling for 2019 Lok Sabha is over as long as back on May 17 at 6 PM, surprisingly Narendra Modi’s Kedarnath Yatra is being covered and widely televised for the last two days in all national as well as local media. This is a gross violation of the Model Code of Conduct, ” Trinamool Congress spokesperson Derek O’Brien said in the letter.
He said the Prime Minister even announced that the master plan for the Kedarnath Temple is ready and also addressed the public and the media at the temple town.
“ lt is absolutely unethical and morally incorrect, ' he stated. “ Every minute detail of his activities during the visit is being widely publicised with an ulterior motive to influence voters directly and/or indirectly. 'Modi Modi' chants are also being heard from the background, ” he said.
The TMC leader said all these moves were well calculated with the “ill intention to influence the voters” on the polling day.
' It is unfortunate that the poll body has not taken any action against the Prime Minister, ' it added.
“ Election Commission, the highest body and the eyes and ears of the democratic process, remains blind and deaf to the gross violation of the MCC. l would request you to take immediate action and stop telecast of such surreptitious and unfair campaign which is also morally wrong, ” he commented
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