<p>At least four people were killed and more than a dozen, including three policemen, were injured in poll-related violence as nearly 75 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise during the second and penultimate phase of the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal on Thursday.<br /><br />Polling was on in some booths even after the scheduled closure of the elections, State Chief Electoral Officer Debashis Sen confirmed at the state secretariat here, indicating that the final percentage might go up after the Election Commission collates data from about 27,000 booths spread over in seven districts.<br /><br />Barring violent incidents in some districts, the elections otherwise passed off peacefully in majority of the booths, Sen told newsmen. Violent clashes, mostly between CPM and Congress and CPM and Trinamool Congress supporters, marred the day in Murshidabad, East Midnapore, Burdwan, Howrah and Birbhum districts. <br /><br />In Murshidabad district’s Jangipur Lok Sabha constituency, from where External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee is seeking re-election, a voter, said to be a CPM supporter, was killed when bombs were hurled at him when he was returning home after casting his ballot. His two brothers accompanying him sustained serious injuries. <br /><br />A polling agent belonging to the Trinamool Congress was killed and three policemen sustained splinter injuries when alleged CPM activists hurled bombs outside a booth at Kanyapuri in Asansol in Burdwan district.<br /><br />Polling was held up for at least two hours after local residents came out in large numbers and chased away the miscreants, setting afire some houses and their motorbikes. Police inforcements were rushed to restore the law and order, Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia said. Three people have been arrested.<br /><br />In another incident, a CPM supporter was allegedly shot dead at Amta in Howrah district allegedly by TMC activists shortly after the polling was over. In Domkol under Murshidabad Lok Sabha constituency, a miscreant succumbed to injuries he sustained while making bombs. <br /><br />Three other deaths<br /><br />Three others died in East Midnapore district. While a BSF jawan on poll duty at Nandigram died after a cerebral attack, a voter each succumbed to sunstroke at Contai and Khejuri in the same district.<br /><br />In trouble-torn Nandigram, gunbattles broke out at Gokulnagar, Kamalpur and Katapura areas between rival CPM and Trinamool Congress supporters in which six people were injured. While Trinamool nominee Subhendu Adhikari alleged that armed CPM actvisits forcibly took over several booths in Nandigram block one, Marxist candidate Lakshman Seth charged the TMC supporters with terrorising CPM voters out of booths in Block two. <br /><br />The Left Front chairman Biman Bose demanded repolling in as many as 56 booths in Nandigram while the Trinamool Congress Mamata Banerjee slammed the Election Commission for its failure to contain violence.<br /><br />“It was the Election Commission which categorised the booths in Nandigram as sensitive. <br /><br />Why it failed to deploy forces accordingly is quite intriguing,” observed the TMC chief. <br /><br />Two people were seriously injured after being hit on the head with rifle butts by policemen as activists of the ruling CPM and the opposition TMCclashed in at least two places Adhikaripara areas of Nandigram.<br /><br />The Election Commission, Sen said, also received allegations that EVMs were broken in three booths - two in Howrah and another in Burdwan. “We are looking into them.”<br /><br />In Nanoor and Dubrajpur areas of Birbhum district, Trinamool alleged that large number of booths were captured by armed CPM activists while in Jangipur, the Congress complained that the CPM had captured 12-14 booths.<br /><br /> Interestingly, voting was absolutely peaceful in Singur, the site of sustained protests by TMC against Tata Motors’ small car plant.<br /><br />Elsewhere in the state, there were sporadic incidents, but overall the situation remained peaceful. Long queues were seen outside polling booths as people began trickling into polling stations much before they opened at 7 am to beat the blazing sun.<br /><br />In the 2004 election, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had won 14 of the 17 seats that went to polls on Thursday. Of the state’s 42 seats, 14 went to the polls on April 30, while 11 will vote in the last round slated on May 13. <br /></p>
<p>At least four people were killed and more than a dozen, including three policemen, were injured in poll-related violence as nearly 75 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise during the second and penultimate phase of the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal on Thursday.<br /><br />Polling was on in some booths even after the scheduled closure of the elections, State Chief Electoral Officer Debashis Sen confirmed at the state secretariat here, indicating that the final percentage might go up after the Election Commission collates data from about 27,000 booths spread over in seven districts.<br /><br />Barring violent incidents in some districts, the elections otherwise passed off peacefully in majority of the booths, Sen told newsmen. Violent clashes, mostly between CPM and Congress and CPM and Trinamool Congress supporters, marred the day in Murshidabad, East Midnapore, Burdwan, Howrah and Birbhum districts. <br /><br />In Murshidabad district’s Jangipur Lok Sabha constituency, from where External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee is seeking re-election, a voter, said to be a CPM supporter, was killed when bombs were hurled at him when he was returning home after casting his ballot. His two brothers accompanying him sustained serious injuries. <br /><br />A polling agent belonging to the Trinamool Congress was killed and three policemen sustained splinter injuries when alleged CPM activists hurled bombs outside a booth at Kanyapuri in Asansol in Burdwan district.<br /><br />Polling was held up for at least two hours after local residents came out in large numbers and chased away the miscreants, setting afire some houses and their motorbikes. Police inforcements were rushed to restore the law and order, Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia said. Three people have been arrested.<br /><br />In another incident, a CPM supporter was allegedly shot dead at Amta in Howrah district allegedly by TMC activists shortly after the polling was over. In Domkol under Murshidabad Lok Sabha constituency, a miscreant succumbed to injuries he sustained while making bombs. <br /><br />Three other deaths<br /><br />Three others died in East Midnapore district. While a BSF jawan on poll duty at Nandigram died after a cerebral attack, a voter each succumbed to sunstroke at Contai and Khejuri in the same district.<br /><br />In trouble-torn Nandigram, gunbattles broke out at Gokulnagar, Kamalpur and Katapura areas between rival CPM and Trinamool Congress supporters in which six people were injured. While Trinamool nominee Subhendu Adhikari alleged that armed CPM actvisits forcibly took over several booths in Nandigram block one, Marxist candidate Lakshman Seth charged the TMC supporters with terrorising CPM voters out of booths in Block two. <br /><br />The Left Front chairman Biman Bose demanded repolling in as many as 56 booths in Nandigram while the Trinamool Congress Mamata Banerjee slammed the Election Commission for its failure to contain violence.<br /><br />“It was the Election Commission which categorised the booths in Nandigram as sensitive. <br /><br />Why it failed to deploy forces accordingly is quite intriguing,” observed the TMC chief. <br /><br />Two people were seriously injured after being hit on the head with rifle butts by policemen as activists of the ruling CPM and the opposition TMCclashed in at least two places Adhikaripara areas of Nandigram.<br /><br />The Election Commission, Sen said, also received allegations that EVMs were broken in three booths - two in Howrah and another in Burdwan. “We are looking into them.”<br /><br />In Nanoor and Dubrajpur areas of Birbhum district, Trinamool alleged that large number of booths were captured by armed CPM activists while in Jangipur, the Congress complained that the CPM had captured 12-14 booths.<br /><br /> Interestingly, voting was absolutely peaceful in Singur, the site of sustained protests by TMC against Tata Motors’ small car plant.<br /><br />Elsewhere in the state, there were sporadic incidents, but overall the situation remained peaceful. Long queues were seen outside polling booths as people began trickling into polling stations much before they opened at 7 am to beat the blazing sun.<br /><br />In the 2004 election, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had won 14 of the 17 seats that went to polls on Thursday. Of the state’s 42 seats, 14 went to the polls on April 30, while 11 will vote in the last round slated on May 13. <br /></p>
