TMC workers raised slogans of thief, thief against Shubhendu in Kalighat, security forces lathicharged

There is a direct contest between Mamata Banerjee and Subhendu Adhikari in Bhawanipur.

Kolkata. Tension prevailed in Kolkata’s Kalighat area on Wednesday when BJP candidate from Bhawanipur, Subhendu Adhikari reached a polling booth and Trinamool workers protested against him by raising slogans. The police then had to intervene and the opposition leader complained to the Election Commission demanding deployment of additional central forces.

Security forces resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd. The officer alleged that the people in the slogan-shouting crowd were outsiders, who were trying to influence the elections. The incident took place near Jai Hind Bhawan in Kalighat, when the officials had reached there to take stock of the polling arrangements after visiting various polling stations of Bhawanipur assembly constituency in the morning.

As soon as he reached there, Trinamool workers and supporters raised slogans of ‘Jai Bangla’ and ‘Chor, Chor’ against him, while BJP workers responded by raising slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’, increasing tension in the politically sensitive area.

The police personnel deployed at the spot had to struggle a lot to control the workers of both the parties, as the sloganeering had intensified and supporters of both the parties had gathered around the polling booth. Standing in front of journalists, Adhikari called up Election Commission officials and complained about the situation, alleging that he was attacked and BJP workers were being stopped.

He was heard telling election officials, “I have been attacked.” More central forces should be sent immediately, so that voters can vote freely.

He also demanded deployment of additional Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in the area and alleged that efforts were being made to intimidate opposition workers and voters.

The BJP alleged that Trinamool supporters were deliberately trying to create unrest to prevent free and fair voting in Bhawanipur. Bhawanipur is one of the most talked about seats of the second and final phase of West Bengal Assembly elections.

However, Trinamool said local people were expressing spontaneous anger against the officer and rejected BJP’s allegations.

Officials have been visiting several polling stations in Bhawanipur since morning, including Chakraborty, Chetla and Mitra Institution, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also in the fray.

Voting for the second and final phase of assembly elections is going on for 142 seats in South Bengal. There is a direct contest between Mamata Banerjee and Subhendu Adhikari in Bhawanipur, due to which everyone’s eyes are fixed on this seat. Voting will continue till 6 pm, while counting of votes will take place on May 4.

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