The fifth phase of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections is currently underway. It’s been only two hours since the voting for the 45 seats has started and reports of violence have started pouring in from the state.
According to News18, crude bombs have been hurled at poll booth 114 in West Bengal’s Minakhan Assembly. The Trinamool Congress party has pinned the blame of the attack on the members of Peerzada Abbasuddin Siddique’s party Indian Secular Front. Besides, incidents of violence have also been reported from outside polling booth 115 in Minakhan Assembly.
Crude bomb allegedly hurled at West Bengal’s Minakhan booth. @AparnaBose4 shares details with @ridhimb. pic.twitter.com/gQYkJa5Mtc
— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 17, 2021
In a separate incident, BJP and TMC workers clashed after the BJP polling agent was allegedly assaulted in West Bengal’s North Bardhaman district. The hunt is on for the accused. The situation in the area is currently under control.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress alleges that at least 35 “outsiders” and “BJP goons” are ‘threatening’ TMC voters who were on their way to the polling booth in Nadia’s Kalyani. An immense atmosphere of fear and panic has been created in the area.
The ruling TMC and the BJP are contesting on all the 45 assembly seats across five districts, namely, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, and Purba Bardhaman in phase five of the West Bengal assembly elections.
Violence during previous phases of 2021 West Bengal Assembly Elections
Like this phase, the previous phases of the West Bengal state Assembly elections were also marred with violence. We had previously reported 5 major incidents of violence that took place during the fourth phase of polls in West Bengal.
Likewise, during the 3rd phase of West Bengal State Legislative polls on Tuesday (April 6), the BJP has alleged that people were stopped from casting their votes by hooligans associated with the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Then also the Trinamool Congress has accused Indian Secular Front (ISF) workers of hurling bombs at them in Ghumri in Canning Purba Vidhan Sabha constituency.
The party has alleged that their workers were also physically assaulted by ISF. Following the incident, a large team of security personnel have been deployed the protect the polling booths to ensure free and fair elections.
