Voters queue up at a booth in Bagdah on Wednesday KOLKATA/RAIGANJ: With Trinamool refusing to cede an inch in Bagdah, Ranaghat South and Raiganj assembly seats, where it had trailed in the Lok Sabha polls, the areas under the three constituencies remained tense during the byelections on Wednesday. The bypolls were held at Maniktala, Bagdah, Ranaghat South and Raiganj assembly seats.
Three persons were arrested in Bagdah, where stray cases of voter intimidation and attack on BJP's candidate were reported.Two persons were arrested in Ranaghat South following complaints of violence and voter intimidation. Till 5 pm, the polling percentage at Ranaghat South was 65.4 and at Bagdah 51.4.
Trinamool former Rajya Sabha member Kunal Ghosh, however, described the elections as "peaceful" but added there might have been stray incidents, which BJP tried to orchestrate so that they could blame them after they lost.
In Bagdah, BJP's Binay Kumar Biswas contested against Trinamool's Madhuparna Thakur. Tension was reported from several pockets of Bagdah after Trinamool supporters allegedly chased and attacked Biswas and his car was damaged at Gudpukuria. Security was stepped up in trouble-torn places of Gudpukuria, Dihildaha, Asharu, Sagrpur and Amdob.
BJP candidates in Ranaghat South and Raiganj, too, claimed they faced hostility with 'go back' slogans aimed at them. "What kind of democracy is it that a poll candidate is met with 'go back' slogans? This is what we saw in the LS elections, too," said Shamik Bhattacharya, BJP's Bengal spokesperson and RS MP.
Thakur, Trinamool's Bagdah candidate, drew criticism after she was spotted travelling with her mother in her official vehicle. The BJP questioned Trinamool candidate's use of a vehicle with 'Govt of India' sticker on it. But she said she had taken a pass from the EC with the car number.
At Ranaghat South, BJP alleged violence since Tuesday night. At Purnannagar, BJP agent Srabanti Dey's house was allegedly ransacked and another BJP worker at Payradanga area, Goutam Biswas, was reportedly attacked. The EC sought a report from the district administration.