Kolkata: With polling underway for bypolls for six Assembly constituencies in West Bengal, reports of sporadic violence have continued to surface.
The vehicle of Rahul Lohar, the BJP candidate from Madarihat constituency in Alipurduar district, one of the six Assembly constituencies where the bypolls are being held, was vandalised allegedly by local Trinamool Congress activists.
Lohar claimed that he went to a village to meet two of his party leaders, when a group of Trinamool Congress activists surrounded his vehicle and started shouting “Go Back” slogans.
“Thereafter they pelted bricks towards my vehicle in which the rear window of the car was smashed,” Lohar claimed.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress’ state vice-president Jayprakash Majumdar has complained to the Election Commission of India (ECI) accusing local BJP leaders and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel of intimidating the common voters at Binnaguri tea garden area under Madarihat constituency.
The former BJP legislator from Madarihat, Manor Toga, who is currently the party’s Lok Sabha member from Alipurduar constituency, after casting his vote claimed that he is confident that his party candidate will get elected in the bypolls from Madarihati as he had won in 2016 and 2021.
There were complaints of tension at booth number 179 under Haroa Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas district, as the All India Secular Front (AISF) candidate from there, Piyarul Islam accused local Trinamool Congress workers of severely assaulting his booth agent there.
The said an AISF agent has been taken to the hospital for treatment. Till 1 P.M. the average polling percentage in the six Assembly constituencies where bypolls are taking place has been recorded at 45.59 per cent.
The highest polling percentage during that period has been reported from Taldangra at 48, followed by Haroa at 47.10, Medinipur at 46.24, Madarihat at 46.18, Sitai at 45, and Naihati at 39.75.
–IANS