Continuing the trend of political violence, TMC goons allegedly attacked and heckled BJP candidate Arjun Singh in Barrackpore.
West Bengal: Arjun Singh, BJP candidate from Barrackpore alleges that he was attacked by TMC workers, says,”I was attacked by TMC goons who have been brought from outside. Those people were scaring away our voters. I am injured.” pic.twitter.com/lWXY3mbbZZ
— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2019
As per the report, Arjun Singh had reached a polling booth in Barrackpore where people complained to him that the BJP supporters are not allowed to vote. When Arjun Singh intervened, he was attacked. Singh alleged that TMC goons who have been brought from outside were scaring away the BJP voters.
Meanwhile, TMC has refuted the claims. Arjun Singh is fighting TMC’s Dinesh Trivedi on BJP ticket. In previous phase of voting, BJP MP and Asansol candidate Babul Supriyo had visited a polling booth in Asansol constituency after villagers had threatened to boycott polls following the non-deployment of central forces in some polling booths.
Clashes took place between TMC workers and BJP workers over a disagreement on the deployment of Central forces to man the booths. In the ensuing scuffle, Babul Supriyo’s car was vandalised by the TMC goons.
The current Lok Sabha elections have seen a bloodied battle in Bengal.
Places like Birbhum and Asansol in West Bengal which went into polling during the fourth phase of elections reported rampant rigging with TMC leaders accompanying voters in the voting booth. Moreover, there were reports of massive violence from Asansol. Crude bombs have been found at a polling booth in Krishnanagar, West Bengal and also bombs have been recovered from a polling booth in Santipur, Nadia district. Also, Central forces, journalists, villagers along with a Union Minister were reportedlyattacked in Dubrajpur district.
The fourth phases of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal were mired in controversy just as the first three phases of elections. Threats, intimidations, bomb attacks, proxy voting have also been recorded in some of the Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal during the third phase of Lok Sabha elections.
Similarly, TMC workers had clashed with BJP workers inside a polling booth in Chopra, Darjeeling and broken an EVM machine during the second phase of elections that concluded on April 18th.
Incidentally, the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls was no different for West Bengal, Where elections are often greeted with violent skirmishes and clashes between competing parties. Violence and rampant polling malpractice were reported from Cooch Behar and Alipurduar, that had gone to polls in the first phase of the elections.
In phase 4 of voting, journalists were attacked by TMC goons for trying to expose the political violence in Bengal. Eventually, owing to the rampant violence in first four phases, 100% central forces cover was given in the fifth phase of voting in Bengal.
