Lok Sabha elections phase 7 voting: Violence breaks out in West Bengal

In the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal's nine parliamentary constituencies, there were incidents of ...

In the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal’s nine parliamentary constituencies, there were incidents of violence, especially in Jadavpur and Diamond Harbour. Supporters of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Indian Secular Front (ISF), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clashed with each other.

According to PTI reports, election officials initially said the voting was peaceful. However, they also admitted receiving 1,450 complaints by 11 am, mostly from political parties. These complaints were about issues like problems with the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and agents being blocked from entering polling booths.

Tensions rose as clashes broke out between supporters of the TMC, ISF, and BJP in different parts of the state. These clashes stemmed from disputes over preventing polling agents from accessing booths. In Bhangar, which is part of the Jadavpur constituency, there was a confrontation between Trinamool Congress and Indian Secular Front (ISF) supporters. Both sides accused each other of throwing crude bombs.

Protests broke out as police stepped in to control the situation. Both groups accused each other of starting the violence. Security forces used batons to scatter the crowd and bring back peace. During this action, several crude bombs were found at the scene

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Furious voters in Kultuli, part of the Joynagar constituency, took extreme steps by throwing EVMs and VV-PAT machines into nearby water bodies. They did this because they felt there was electoral misconduct and were frustrated with what they saw as voting restrictions.

Meanwhile In Diamond Harbour, which is the stronghold of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, clashes broke out between TMC and BJP supporters. The BJP candidate, Abhijit Das, accused the ruling party of malpractices. However, the TMC denied these allegations.

In Jadavpur, CPI(M) workers were reportedly attacked by TMC activists, and their offices were vandalized. However, the TMC denied these claims too and accused the Left party of intimidating voters.

In the Bermajur area of Sandeshkhali, the BJP accused TMC workers of intimidating BJP polling agents by visiting their homes on Friday night, along with police officers. The party supported its claims with video evidence. They said women in Sandeshkhali expressed dissatisfaction with the TMC government’s actions, which they saw as attempts to intimidate people before the final phase of elections.

Now these reports and cases have raised a big question on electrol system of India as well as the democracy of the country.