Bengal turned into a battlefield during voting; know where incidents of fighting, vandalism, and arson were reported.

Bengal Phase 1 Voting Violence: Voting in the first phase of the West Bengal legislative assembly election continues with great enthusiasm on one hand, while on the other hand, serious incidents of violence, clashes, and vandalism have been reported from several parts of the state. Tensions remain high in areas like Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, Siliguri, and Malda in West Bengal.

In the Naoda area of Murshidabad, the convoy of AJUP chief and candidate from Rezinagar, Humayun Kabir, was attacked. Miscreants attacked his vehicle with sticks and bricks. During this, fierce clashes broke out between Trinamool Congress (TMC) and AJUP workers. After the incident, Kabir had a heated argument with police officers and demanded a high-level investigation.

In Tufanganj, Cooch Behar, a huge crowd gathered during voting. Seeing the situation deteriorate, Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel used batons to disperse the crowd. It is alleged that some anti-social elements were trying to intimidate voters.

In the Kumarganj area of South Dinajpur, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Suvendu Sarkar was allegedly attacked. He claimed that when he reached a booth after receiving a report of irregularities, TMC supporters assaulted him in front of the police.

In the Mothabari area of Malda, voters became agitated when an EVM malfunctioned. At a booth located at Baluachara High School, people surrounded the election officer and shoved him due to his late arrival.

In Harishchandrapur, Malda, two factions of the TMC clashed with each other. The party’s camp office in the village of outgoing minister Tajmul Hussain was vandalized. Local leader Swapan Ali alleged that the minister’s supporters were working in favor of the Congress.

At a polling station in Siliguri, pushing and shoving began after an argument between TMC and BJP workers. The situation escalated in the presence of BJP candidate Shankar Ghosh, but CAPF personnel quickly brought it under control.

TMC candidate from Asansol North, Malay Ghatak, claimed that people were brought in via special trains from Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh on the night before voting. He has filed a complaint about this matter with the Election Commission.

In the Jamuria area, an allegation of finding an EVM in a car further heated up the atmosphere. Locals say that reserve EVMs were kept without security, raising questions about the fairness of the election.