Sporadic violence was reported during the Contai Cooperative Bank election in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district on Sunday, with several polling stations witnessing Trinamool Congress-BJP scuffles despite tight security provided by central and state police forces.
In a heated verbal altercation at Heriya, the BJP alleged that the TMC was snatching away the slips of voters of the Opposition party and forcing them to take slips handed by the ruling party. Police brought the situation under control soon. Kolaghat also witnessed a similar incident.
In another incident, the BJP blocked a road in Ramnagar alleging that its workers were beaten up by TMC supporters. As voting progressed at Ramnagar College amid tight security, the BJP alleged that its voters were prevented from entering the polling station and that their voter slips and voter ID cards were taken away.
The BJP further alleged that TMC supporters were beating them up when they protested and that all this happened in the presence of the police. Local BJP leader Tapan Maiti said, “We will move only if the administration ensures that everyone votes.”
The protesters lifted the blockade only after the Ramnagar police reached the spot and assured voters’ safety.
However, Ramnagar Trinamool MLA and former minister Akhil Giri rejected the BJP’s allegations. “There is no news of any violence in Ramnagar. The BJP is trying to spread unrest in the area by making false allegations to sabotage the vote. We want to complete the vote peacefully,” he said.
A few metres from Raghunath Ayurved Mahavidyalaya and Hospital, Left supporters alleged the Trinamool had ransacked their booth and broken a table there. Pranab Panda, a CPM area committee member, told The Indian Express, “From morning onwards, we could see Trinamool goons, instead of the central forces, ‘patrolling’ the streets. Since our booth was getting a good response, a group of goons came and threw our table and the voters’ list on the streets. This is the type of progress the state is seeing.”
The situation was fairly peaceful in the morning.
On December 8, the Tamluk Co-Operative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank election witnessed violence as bombs were hurled. Voting took place for 69 seats in 12 branches of the bank, including in Haldia, Sutahata, Mahishadal, Maina, Tamluk, and Chandipur.
The TMC won 56 of these seats, gaining the majority needed to establish the board.