The fifth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls witnessed unabated violence in West Bengal on Monday as clashes between supporters of the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party took extreme turn in Barrackpore and Bongaon.
Arjun Singh, candidate of the BJP in Barrackpore, was allegedly thrashed by the TMC cadres even though he enjoys heavy security. The incident took place at Mohanpur in the morning when Singh was trying to stop alleged intimidation of voters by the TMC cadres.
The TMC workers beat him up in the presence of state police personnel while his own security officials were trying hard to protect him.
Barrackpore was one of the seven seats that went to polls on Monday, the others being Hooghly, Serampore, Arambagh, Bongaon, Howrah and Uluberia.
After the attack, Singh, who himself has got a Robinhood image, slumped on the road profusely bleeding. The incident prompted BJP central leadership to call a press meet and demand re-election in Barrackpore.
After the BJP's complaint, the central forces swung into action and acted tough on people creating hazards for a free and fair poll.
The Election Commission has sought a report from the chief electoral officer of West Bengal about the incident. However, Ajai Naik, the special observer for the state, said that the commission was "more or less happy" with the progress of the election.
A woman shows her finger marked with indelible ink at a polling station in Howrah, West Bengal | Salil Bera
At Hooghly, BJP candidate Locket Chatterjee sat on a dharna alleging that around 100 booths in her constituency were rigged by the TMC workers.
"Our election agents in the booths were driven out and they (TMC workers) were doing massive rigging. I want justice, otherwise I would start massive protests against the (Election) Commission. The Election Commission cannot turn a blind eye," said she.
The eviction of BJP agents from polling booths was reported from Uluberia and Howrah constituencies as well.
In Bongaon, workers of both the BJP and the TMC fought a pitched battle with both sides accusing each other of plundering polling booths and damaging EVMs.
Modi targets Mamata
Amid violence-hit polling in the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed two big rallies in Tamluk and Jhargram.
Modi said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was fighting hard to secure at least 10 of the 42 seats in West Bengal.
"The situation has come to such a pass that Didi was trying hard to cross even ten seats..." said Modi at Jhargram.
The tussle between Modi and Mamata seems to have affected the relief work for cyclone-affected areas even as the prime minister wanted to hold a relief meeting in Kalaikunda near Midnapore. Mamata refused to attend the meeting. Modi, meanwhile, made an aerial survey of the cyclone-hit areas with Odisha Chief Minister Navin Patanaik.
A senior cabinet minister of West Bengal said, "There is no point in holding a meeting with a prime minister whose expiry date is over. We will hold meeting with the new prime minister."
