‘TMC cadre attacked BJP worker with razor blade,’ alleges party; threatens to gherao Dumdum police station if accused not held
The Statesman | 29 April 2026
Fresh violence allegations rattled West Bengal’s high-voltage election on Wednesday after a BJP worker was reportedly attacked with a razor blade near a polling booth in North Dumdum, adding to tensions in an already fiercely contested phase of voting.
According to BJP candidate Sourav Sikdar, the incident took place in the Patna locality when party worker Arpan Pal was standing at a distance from a booth in Ward No. 6. Sikdar alleged that a Trinamool Congress (TMC) worker suddenly approached and slashed Pal with a razor, triggering chaos and fear among voters in the area.
“We have filed a complaint at Nimta Police Station. If swift action is not taken and the accused is not arrested, we will gherao the police station,” Sikdar said, warning of protests.
The TMC, however, rejected the charge outright, calling it baseless and politically motivated.
The reported attack comes amid a bitter contest between the BJP and the ruling TMC in the Dumdum region, where accusations and counter-accusations have marked polling day developments.
TMC candidate and state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya cast her vote earlier in the day and flagged concerns over voting delays, alleging a malfunction in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) at her booth.
“I have exercised my vote, but the EVM was not functioning properly, which slowed down the process,” she said while interacting with voters.
Bhattacharya, a two-term MLA from Dumdum Uttar, is seeking re-election against BJP’s Sourav Sikdar and CPI(M)’s Dipsita Dhar. In the previous election, she secured a comfortable victory with a margin of over 28,000 votes.
The second phase of polling, covering 142 of the state’s 294 constituencies, is underway amid tight security and heightened political friction. Over 3.21 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in this phase, including more than 1.57 crore women and 792 transgender voters.
A total of 1,448 candidates are in the fray, with 41,001 polling stations set up across the state. Notably, more than 8,000 booths are being managed entirely by women officials.
Counting of votes is scheduled for May 4, with the outcome expected to shape the next phase of West Bengal’s political landscape.