Clashes and EVM disposal mar final phase voting in Bengal

As the seventh phase of polling is underway in West Bengal, reports of violence and tension have cast a shadow over the electoral process. 

In the Satuliya area of Bhangar, within the Jadavpur constituency near Kolkata, clashes erupted between the Indian Secular Front (ISF) and CPI(M) (Communist Party of India, Marxist) supporters, resulting in injuries.

However, the most dramatic incident occurred in Kultali, South 24 Parganas district. 

An enraged mob stormed polling stations, forcibly seizing an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and hurling it into a nearby pond. 

Allegedly, some polling agents had been denied entry to the booths, prompting local residents to retaliate by discarding the EVM equipped with Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).

The Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal confirmed the incident: "At 6:40 am today, Reserve EVMs and papers belonging to the Sector Officer near Benimadhavpur FP school in 129-Kultali AC of 19-Jaynagar (SC) PC were looted by a local mob. 

One Control Unit (CU), one Ballot Unit (BU), and two VVPAT machines were thrown into the pond. An FIR has been filed, and necessary action is underway. 

Polling in all six booths under the Sector remains uninterrupted, with fresh EVMs and papers provided."

Meanwhile, tensions escalated in Sandeshkhali, part of the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency. Armed with bamboo sticks, local women protested alleged threats from Trinamool Congress (TMC) activists and state police. 

They accused associates of the now-suspended Trinamool leader Sheikh Shahjahan, currently imprisoned, of intimidating their families. State police, however, attributed the unrest to an altercation between local BJP supporters and civic volunteers.

According to a report, the highest deployment of Central forces has been planned for the seventh phase of polling in West Bengal. During the sixth phase, many incidents came to light in the same way. 

As of May 26, until 4 pm, the election office in West Bengal had received 1,985 complaints, according to an official. In Garbeta, Jhargram, BJP nominee Pranat Tudu was injured after allegedly being chased away by a group of villagers. 

Additionally, a security personnel who was part of Tudu’s security detail was also injured when stones and bricks were thrown at them. One of the vehicles in the BJP leader’s convoy was also damaged.

Videos of the Sandeshkhali protests were shared by the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, and BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya. Both accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of deploying party goons and state police to intimidate voters.

In Bhangar, clashes erupted between TMC and All India Secular Front (AISF) activists, resulting in injuries to a woman AISF supporter. 

Additionally, the vehicle of AISF candidate Nur Alam Khan was allegedly vandalized by Trinamool supporters.

Polling for the nine Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal—Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin, and Kolkata Uttar—commenced at 7 am under stringent security measures. Voting will continue until 6 pm. 

Prominent candidates in this phase include Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee from Diamond Harbour, BJP's Rekha Patra from Basirhat, and CPI(M)'s Sujan Chakraborty from Dum Dum. 

The polling stations are closely monitored by 1,020 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), with 978 on polling duty. Additionally, 1,960 quick response teams (QRTs) are deployed statewide to address any potential tensions.