Stray violence marred the seventh phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections where 34 constituencies went to the polls. Till 5 pm, 75.06% votes have been polled.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged that the state police resorted to baton charge their cadres without any reason in the Asansol South constituency. TMC candidate Saayoni Ghosh rushed to the spot. She got involved in a heated exchange of words with a police officer.
She further alleged that the BJP cadres were trying to jam polling booths to disrupt the voting process in the constituency. Denying the allegation BJP candidate Agnimitra Paul said “ sending imminent defeat she (Ghosh) was making such baseless allegations.”
The polling agent of BJP candidate Lt General (Retd) Subrata Saha from the Rashbihari constituency in Kolkata was detained by police for allegedly molesting a woman inside a booth. Police sources said the accused Mohan Rao was detained after several woman voters alleged that he tried to drag them holding their hands inside the booth. Rao, however, denied the allegation.
The BJP and TMC cadres got involved in a scuffle at the Rashnihari constituency following allegations by the ruling party in the State that Central forces were asking voters to vote for the saffron party.
The TMC accused the Central forces of assaulting one of its polling agents in the Malatipur constituency in Malda district. Soon a large number of workers from the TMC and the BJP gathered in the area and both sides came to blows.
TMC and BJP workers clashed in the Garden Reach area in the Kolkata Port constituency in Kolkata. Several were injured as both sides resorted to stone-pelting.
Senior TMC leader and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim alleged that Congress workers were tearing up voter’s slips of people. Later, he gave chase to one such accused riding pillion on a scooter in his Kolkata Port constituency. Hakim alleged that Congress workers were trying to disrupt the polling process by resorting to provocations. Local Congress leadership denied the allegations.
The BJP alleged that its candidate from the Raninagar Assembly seat in Murshidabad district was attacked by TMC cadres miscreants. They further alleged that the candidate was illegally detained by the armed miscreants. However, later EC officials said that no such attack took place.