66.28% voter turnout recorded till 5 pm

MP, 9 July 2023, Kolkata: The Panchayat election on Saturday was marked by incidents of sporadic violence with over eight deaths being reported across the state. The percentage of voting till 5 pm was 66.28 with West Midnapore accounting for the highest voting with 70.15 percent polling. Commission’s sources said the actual death toll can be ascertained only after receipt of the final report which is yet to arrive. State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha admitted receipt of several complaints throughout the day and said the incidents of bloodshed might have been avoided if the Central forces would have arrived earlier. However, sources at the district level have informed of at least a dozen deaths. 

“Till reports last came in, we have received 660 companies of Central forces out of our total requisition of 822. If there was no delay in reaching of the central forces in the state, then some of the untoward incidents could have been avoided,” Sinha said. Dismissing allegations of the state administration letting loose a reign of terror, state minister Bratya Basu claimed that it is the Trinamool Congress which has been at the “receiving end of the violence perpetuated by the opposition”. 

“Of the 22 districts that went to rural polls, no incident of violence was reported in 16. Of the 61539 booths, incidents were reported in only 60, which is less than one percent of the total. So, one can ascertain the ratio of violence in comparison with the areas where polls were held peacefully. It is lesser than one per cent,” another minister, Shashi Panja, said. 

“A narrative is being spun by the opposition parties with the help of the Governor (C V Ananda Bose) and a section of the media that elections in West Bengal are always violent. There have been few instances of violence, but if you compare with previous elections, you will see that the incidents of violence and deaths have gone down drastically,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh claimed. 

Sinha maintained that the poll panel has been pursuing with the Centre for sending the remaining 485 companies since June 25 and it was only in the first week of July that the Home Ministry consented in sending these units. “There may be reasons for delay on their part but on our part, we can say that incidents could have been avoided if we had received the Central forces earlier,” Sinha added. 

According to sources in the Commission, out of 61000 odd booths, 15000 could only be covered by the Central forces, thanks to the delay in arrival. The SEC claimed that the law-and-order situation is in the hands of the state police while the former’s role is the management of the elections. “We cannot guarantee that no one will fire or shoot anyone dead. But when it comes to management, we have taken all possible steps so that voters can exercise their franchise. 

The duty of curbing violence is the responsibility at the district level. Our control room has been functional round the clock for seven days. We informed the concerned SPs and the District Magistrates immediately upon receipt of the complaints. The police will probe all these incidents and will make arrests, as and when required,” he said. 

Sinha said that the most number of complaints has been received from North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, Murshidabad and Dinhata from Cooch Behar. Sinha did not rule out chances of repoll with complaints of ballot looting, ransacking and rigging of votes being received. “We will do a scrutiny with returning officers and other concerned officials on Sunday and then take a decision on repolling,” Sinha said. 

As per statistics of the Commission, Bankura has witnessed 69.83 percent, Birbhum 68.88, East Midnapore 67.23, Murshidabad 65.95, Malda 63.44, Purulia 59.85, Jhargram 64.26, Hooghly 65.43, Howrah 67.58, North 24-Parganas 67.88, West Burdwan 65.85, South 24-Parganas 65.40, Nadia 68.72, East Burdwan 68.90, South Dinajpur 61.93, Alipurduar 63.11, Cooch Behar 63.84, Jalpaiguri 62.24 and South Dinajpur 56.87. Kalimpong had the lowest vote percentage with 56.49 percent. 

Most of the election-related deaths were of Trinamool Congress workers. Clashes and violence were reported since Friday night and continued on election day as well. On Friday night, TMC alleged that at Nandigram II, East Midnapore, BJP workers abducted their Gram Panchayat candidate Gautam Mondal and confined him in an unknown location. The ruling party also alleged BJP workers brutally thrashed TMC worker Tapan Ghosh on the streets in Gazna Gram Panchayat. 

On Saturday morning, TMC alleged that some CPI(M) miscreants fired at the TMC candidate’s husband in Narayanpur-1 GP and crude bombs were also hurled. As the day progressed, three TMC workers were murdered in Rejinagar, Khargram (both in Murshidabad) and Tufanganj (Cooch Behar) and two were left wounded from gunshots at Domkal, Murshidabad. Further, another TMC worker was killed in a bomb attack in Malda, Manikchawk. In Fulmalancha, Basanti, a Trinamool worker died in a bomb attack. 

Two CPI(M) workers were killed in Ausgram, East Burdwan and in Lalgola, Murshidabad, respectively. In Murshidabad, polling officers fled from two booths after ballot boxes were snatched and votes were allegedly looted. The same occurred in a booth at Rampurhat in Birbhum while in Nowda, Murshidabad, a Congress worker was killed. 

Two ISF workers received bullet injuries in Chawkmaricha village in Bhangar in South 24-Parganas. 

Meanwhile, Governor CV Ananda Bose was on the streets since morning. He visited some areas in North 24-Parganas where he met a person injured in poll-related violence and also in Nadia district. He described the poll as a “fight between ballots and bullets” and said he would monitor the situation throughout the state and take corrective measures. 

It is alleged that since morning voters across New Town were obstructed and compelled to return without casting their votes. In most of the cases, outsiders allegedly claiming as residents of New Town forced the voters not to exercise their franchise on the pretext of protest against adding the smart city to the panchayat. 

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said voting has been a farce and added that they will move the High Court praying for the cancellation of votes 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/6628-voter-turnout-recorded-till-5-pm-524919