LS Election: Violence Vitiated Polling in WB As 72 Constituencies across 9 States Concluded Voting

POLLING  in seventy-two seats across nine states of the seven phases  Lok Sabha elections concluded on Monday with  Union Minister Babul  Supriya alleging his car  was damaged  by TMC  supporters and he was rescued from being  attacked  in  West Bengal’s  Asansol from where he was contesting  elections. Poll related violence was also reported from other constituencies in the eastern state. Odisha completed assembly elections with 42 constituencies voting during the day.  This phase saw the end of polling in Maharashtra and Odisha, while the process commenced in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. Twenty-six seats in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal also voted in this phase.TV news channels reported Babul Supriyo’s car was vandalised in Asansol, but the leader was unharmed in the attack. The attack came as voting for eight West Bengal constituencies in the fourth phase of Lok the Sabha polls was underway.Supriyo, the sitting MP of the Asansol parliamentary constituency, has been re-nominated by the BJP, where he is pitted against the Trinamool Congress’ actor-turned-politician Moon Moon Sen. The incident took place in the Barabani area after he went inside a polling booth to ensure that his party agents were allowed inside. The rear glass of the vehicle was shattered. “They are trying to stop me. But they won’t be able to stop me like this. I will move to ensure that BJP agents are allowed,” Supriyo, told the media.”These men have attacked my car but said I was resorting to hooliganism. It is a ploy to confine me at a place but I will move.”Central force can take charge of the booths but the agents are not able to come out from their houses. I will try to go to as many places as possible and help them. This is the modus operandi of the ruling party,” he added. Trinamool workers, on the other hand, alleged that Supriyo and his men had manhandled them. Clashes between BJP and TMC workers and several reports of EVM malfunctioning have also been reported Odisha, and Maharashtra. The Mamata Banerjee-led party in West Bengal has been accused of “violence and criminal intimidation” in Damra and Chittaranjan areas of Asansol Lok Sabha constituency. Central forces personnel allegedly fired once in the air in Poduma area Dubrajpur in Birbhum constituency to bring the situation under control after villagers threw stones at the security personnel. The bullet hit a wall of the polling station. The incident took place in booth number 259 in Kandihi village. The clash erupted following the reluctance of a few voters to leave their cellophanes behind before entering a booth. This is the first instance of central forces pulling the trigger in the four phases of polling in Bengal. Campaign ended on  Saturday  for the fourth phase  Lok Sabha elections on  April 29  located in  nine states located- Bihar (5 parliamentary constituencies), Jammu and Kashmir (1), Jharkhand (3), Madhya Pradesh (6), Maharashtra (17), Odisha (6), Rajasthan (13), Uttar Pradesh (13) and West Bengal (8). Polling in phase V of the Lok Sabha election will be held on May 6. Phase V polling will be conducted in 51 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across seven states. The states that will be voting in phase IV of general elections are: Bihar (5 parliamentary constituencies), Jammu and Kashmir (1), Jharkhand (3), Madhya Pradesh (6), Maharashtra (17), Odisha (6), Rajasthan (13), Uttar Pradesh (13) and West Bengal (8).In the fourth phase, voting will take place for 17 Parliamentary seats in Maharashtra; 13 each in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan; eight in West Bengal; six each in Odisha and Madhya Pradesh; five in Bihar; three in Jharkhand. Voting will also be held in all the polling stations falling in Kulgam district under the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir. In India’s financial capital  Mumbai, film stars,  corporate  honchos,  prominent   Union Ministers  and  politicians  along with  commoners  exercised  their franchise in  six Lok Sabha Constituencies. All the Seats were won by BJP –Shiv Sena in 2014.(edited by Pranab Kumar Chakravarty with inputs from varied  sources)