Polling for 152 of the 294 seats in the first phase of the West Bengal assembly

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like Polling for 152 of the 294 seats in the first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections concluded on Thursday amid sporadic incidents of violence, even as the Election Commission of India (ECI) and chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar lauded voters for the “highest-ever turnout” in the state. Police said 41 people have been arrested in connection with the clashes. People wait in queues to cast votes during the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, in Asansol, Paschim Bardhaman district (PTI)Polling in 16 districts began at 7 am amid tight security to decide the electoral fate of 1,478 candidates. According to updated ECI figures, the voter turnout stood at 92.35%. “This is the highest-ever percentage in West Bengal since Independence,” Kumar said. Later in Kolkata, state CEO Manoj Agarwal told reporters: “We are satisfied with the efforts that we put in which was reflected in the high voter turnout. There is always scope for improvement. The CEC said he was also satisfied with the reports of electors voting without fear and favour.” However, some clashes were reported in parts of the state. Tensions flared in parts of Murshidabad, Birbhum, Cooch Behar and Dakshin Dinajpur, where crude bombs were allegedly hurled and candidates of both the parties faced attacks, even as security forces were deployed in large numbers to ensure a free and fair polling process. Domkal and Nowada in Murshidabad, which accounted for the highest number of voter deletions after the adjudication process, reported clashes on Wednesday. On the polling day, a section of voters at one polling station at Raipur village in Domkal alleged that they were threatened with firearms and asked not to go to the booths. Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) reached the spot and escorted the villagers to the polling station, officials said. According to officials, a clash between the ruling TMC and the CPI(M) in Raipur left at least four people injured. In a separate incident at Shibnagar in Nowada, crude bombs were hurled following a clash between the TMC and the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), a party launched by former TMC MLA Humayun Kabir. Workers of both the TMC and AJUP later blocked roads. Meanwhile, BJP candidate from Kumarganj in Dakshin Dinajpur Suvendu Sarkar was allegedly assaulted by workers of the TMC outside a polling station while visiting the booths. Earlier in the day, Sarkar was seen chasing a TMC worker amid allegations that the latter had threatened one of his polling agents. Later, when he visited another polling station, he was reportedly attacked by TMC supporters. A video circulating on social media showed a group of people punching and dragging Sarkar, while his security guard attempted to shield him. BJP candidate from Asansol South in West Burdwan Agnimitra Paul also alleged that the rear windshield of her vehicle was damaged during stone pelting. Talking about the sporadic incidents of violence, state CEO Agarwal said “none of those were major in nature in terms of law and order”. “These were unfortunate incidents,” he added. On the alleged attack on Paul’s vehicle, Agarwal said an unknown miscreant hurled a stone at the rear portion of her car and a “case has been started”. According to police, nine people have been arrested in connection with the Nowada incident, three from Dubrajpur and five in Kumarganj. This apart, at least 571 preventive arrests were made on Thursday. Joydeep Thakur is a Special Correspondent based in Kolkata. He focuses on science, environment, wildlife, agriculture and other related issues.