Shantanu tours Bongaon, Biswajit keeps tabs on polling from war room
Times of India | 21 May 2024
BONGAON: At border town Bongaon, it was a scene of contrast on the poll day as far as approach of two major candidates is concerned. Both - BJP's Shantanu Thakur and Trinamool Congress's Biswajit Das - though, claimed they were confident of their victory.
From Thakurnagar to Kalyani and Bagda to Swarupnagar, BJP candidate and junior Union shipping minister Thakur drove across the entire length and breadth of the LS constituency as he slogged it out on the streets on the poll day, raising as many as four dozen complaints against Trinamool Congress and local cops before the Election commission.
Das, on the other hand, kept a calm composure meeting party colleagues at a party office, limiting his booth visits around Bongaon town, enjoying a wholesome lunch of rice, daal, ghee, alubhaja and chicken curry before he toured the far-off booths in Nadia at the fag end of the day.
Thakur started his day sharp at 7.15 am, walking out of his home in Thakurnagar and casting his vote at the nearby Thakurnagar RP Vidyalaya standing in a queue behind 35 others.
"Trinamool men are beating up our workers and forcing them out of the booths even before start of polling at several places. I have already informed election observer," he said as he and his convoy of cars with security personnel rushed towards Gayeshpur in Haringhata, 65 kms away, where one of their workers was allegedly thrashed by Trinamool men.
Thakur stopped over at Kalyani AIIMS to check on the worker as he got admitted there. He then sat on a demonstration outside a booth at Indira Gandhi Free Primary School, demanding immediate arrest of the goons, who had assaulted the BJP worker and also drove out a BJP agent. Thakur brought back the agent to the booth and waited there for close to 40 minutes till a fresh team of central forces and cops arrived there.
He left the spot amidst chants of "Thakurmoshai zindabad".
He rushed to two more booths at Katagunj-Gokulnagar receiving complaints of rigging and booth jam. He alleged that Bengal Police personnel had sounded a siren, alerting the miscreants who had fled by the time he reached.
On Monday, fresh posters had surfaced across the constituency demanding reason behind him not applying for CAA yet. "My grandfather had permanently shifted to India in 1948. He had a house in Dover Lane and completed his graduation from Kolkata in 1921. He had also done his Masters from CU. Why do I need to apply for CAA?" he said before heading to Swarupnagar.
Das is a former TMC MLA, who had switched camps to BJP in 2021 and won the seat from Bagda but was back with AITC and is now contesting against Thakur. He said he was confident of his victory.
He left home and 8am and cast his vote at Kiranbala Primary School before visiting nearby booths in Bongaon town and met party workers. He was stopped at a couple of booths by central forces but on showing his ID card, he was allowed entry. He was also greeted with 'Jai Shri Ram' chants by some BJP workers at a booth in Dhakapara but he was quick to respond to the jabs by saying "tathastu".