Over 80% polling in West Bengal

TNN | Apr 18, 2014, KOLKATA: Bengal opened its poll innings on Thursday with a high turnout of 81.57% in the four North Bengal constituencies of Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Alipurduars and Jalpaiguri, but there were allegations of rigging at three assembly segments of the Cooch Behar Lok Sabha seat. The opposition also cried foul over inadequate deployment of central forces in sensitive areas. 

Forward Bloc candidate from Cooch Behar Dipak Ray staged a dharna at the district magistrate's office at Cooch Behar town alleging massive rigging by Trinamool Congress activists in most booths of the assembly segments Sitalkuchi, Natabari and Cooch Behar(South). Ray complained that Trinamool musclemen drove out Left polling agents from these booths and terrorised the voters. Later, a Left Front delegation led by Rabin Deb called on chief electoral officer Sunil Gupta at his Kolkata office and demanded repolling in these three assembly segments. Special election observer Rakesh Sharma has sought a report from the district magistrate based on the Left Front's complaint. 

Two of the three assembly segments in the centre of the controversy switched allegiance from Left to Trinamool in the 2011 assembly polls. Trinamool not only consolidated its new support base in the 2013 panchayat polls, but wrested Cooch Behar (South) from Left as well. 

Polling was more or less peaceful in the other three Lok Sabha constituencies except at Rajganj assembly segment of Jalpaiguri. Complaints of rigging pored in from Bhandarganj and Kukurjan areas of the segment. Once with the Left, Kukurjan went with Trinamool in the panchayat polls. Polling in Jalpaiguri was 80.40% till 5 pm. 

Trinamool holds an edge in Cooch Behar, while Left has the advantage in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduars. Howeve, BJP's vote share in Alipurduars could affect calculations. No one is, however, ready to hazard a guess on Darjeeling, where Trinamool's Baichung Bhutia is likely to give BJP's S S Ahluwalia a tough fight. Even if the GJM-backed BJP nominee wins the polls, his margin is unlikely to be anywhere near the 2009 figures when BJP's Jaswant Singh polled 51% votes in Darjeeling.