The first phase of the Assembly elections in West Bengal on Thursday began with heightened security—2,047 personnel from the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) manning polling booths across 152 constituencies.
People stepped out to cast their vote, with the voter turnout reaching 92.35 per cent till 9 PM for the 3.6-crore electorate.
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), this time's voter turnout has been the highest in West Bengal since independence.
This percentage is expected to increase further as figures were received from 39,558 booths out of the total of 44,376 booths. Polling was underway in 4,828 booths where people who came in till 6 PM were still casting their votes.
“The ASDD (Absent, Shifted, Dead, Deleted) votes have gone. The denominators have gone down and voting percentage will go up. Voting percentage has gone up across the country and Bengal has always been conscious about voting and voting percentage has been high,” explained Manoj Agarwal, CEO, West Bengal.
“There were no major incidents that took place. I thank all political parties who cooperated and all stakeholders," he added.
The EC hopes that the voter turnout will also increase for urban constituencies going to the polls on April 29 in the second phase of the Assembly elections in the state. Urban constituencies usually see a lower voter turnout.
Agarwal further noted that this time, webcasting was 100 per cent foolproof and that the intricate details of camera placements to record the EVM had been considered beforehand.
A detailed analysis was done for where generators were needed, in addition to a separate protocol for places with no internet connectivity.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) claimed that the high voter turnout meant people coming out to vote as they considered this their last chance, with several names deleted after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
However, after a few hours of polling, violence was reported in some parts of the state.
In Naoda in the Murshidabad district, Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) founder Humayun Kabir’s car was vandalised during stone pelting between TMC and AJUP workers.
TMC supporters shouted 'go back' slogans, accusing Kabir of being a BJP agent. The rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, who won from Bharatpur in the 2021 Assembly elections, accused workers of his former party of intimidation.
In another incident in Domkal in the same district, CPI(M) and TMC clashes took place on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, with CPI(M) supporters allegedly threatened with firearms by the TMC if they were to cast their vote.
In Dakshin Dinajpur, the BJP's Kumargunj candidate Suvendu Sarkar was allegedly manhandled by TMC supporters, despite the presence of one security officer, and was seen running through fields to protect himself.
Sarkar was on his way to a polling booth when he heard of chaos by ruling party supporters.
In Rahmat Nagar in Asansol, BJP candidate Agnimitra Paul’s car was also vandalised after she left the polling booth.
There were also three incidents reported in the Birbhum district. In Labhpur, BJP candidate Debashish Ojha’s agent was allegedly beaten up by TMC supporters. In the second incident in Murarai, two Congress workers were injured due to clashes with TMC. The third incident in Dubrajpur in the same district saw stone pelting at the CAPF by miscreants suspected to be TMC workers, resulting in two security personnel injured.
In Tufangunj in the Cooch Behar district, booth jamming allegations emerged, with security personnel resorting to lathi charges. Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) malfunctioning allegedly took place thrice in Berhampore in the Murshidabad district, which also caused long delays for voters.
Anand Kumar, Nodal Officer, State Police, said that 41 arrests were made while 571 were preventive arrests. In specific incidents, nine arrests were made in Naoda, three in Dubrajpur, five in Kumarhunj, four in Saithia (where a BJP candidate was assaulted), and four in connection with the Murarai incident.
Till around 2 PM, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had received more than 1,000 complaints from various quarters including individuals and political parties. However no casualties were reported in the first phase of elections.