Low voter turnout mark Bengal by-polls

The voters were not allowed to vote freely and fairly, BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh alleged.On Tuesday morning, stones were hurled at the vehicle of BJPs candidate for Asansol, Agnimitra Paul, leading to tension in a few localities of the industrial town.Stones were thrown when the candidates personal security personnel baton-charged a group of TMC supporters who gheraoed Pauls vehicle alleging that she tried to enter a polling booth along with her security guards.

Polling for West Bengal's by-elections to Asansol Lok Sabha seat and for the prestigious Ballygunge assembly constituency in south Kolkata ended Tuesday evening at 6.30 pm with relatively low voter turnout. The elections went off peacefully barring minor minor incidents of violence and saw around 52.5 per cent voter turnout till 5 pm.

The industrial town of Asansol Lok Sabha seat saw 64.03 per cent polling, while the Ballygunge Assembly constituency witnessed an even lower 41.10 per cent voter turnout till 5 pm, an official said. These figures are however expected to go up as polling went on for another one-and-a-half hour. Officials said they would release the final voter turnout percentages tomorrow after compiling data from various booths.

In contrast, the Asansol Lok Sabha seat witnessed a turnout of around 76.62 per cent in 2019 general elections, whereas the Ballygunge assembly saw a 61 per cent voter turnout in last year's assembly polls.

While the Trinamool Congress blamed humid weather and the usual trend of lower voting percentages in by-elections, the BJP claimed there was `voter intimidation'.

''The voting was quite brisk in the early hours but slowed down later, may be due to humid weather and perhaps because it is a by-election. But we are confident of winning both Ballygunge and Asansol seats,'' TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said.

The BJP, however, claimed that the TMC has unleashed a reign of terror in both the seats. ''TMC has unleashed a reign of terror in both the seats. The voters were not allowed to vote freely and fairly,'' BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh alleged.

On Tuesday morning, stones were hurled at the vehicle of BJP's candidate for Asansol, Agnimitra Paul, leading to tension in a few localities of the industrial town.

Stones were thrown when the candidate's personal security personnel baton-charged a group of TMC supporters who gheraoed Paul's vehicle alleging that she tried to enter a polling booth along with her security guards. Television grabs also seemed to show that her guards had tried to enter the booth.

''My polling agent was not allowed to enter a booth in Barabani. My vehicle was also attacked, and the police were mute spectators. Does TMC think they can ensure Shatrughan Sinha's victory by plotting to kill me? The BJP will again win in Asansol,'' Paul said.

As her security personnel tried to escort her out of the spot, TMC activists shouted slogans against the BJP, following which a melee between the security forces and the activists was reported.

The TMC alleged that Paul and her security personnel tried to create disturbance in the area.

''How can a candidate move with a convoy of 20 cars? She and her security personnel were trying to create tension in the area,'' TMC leader V Sivadasan said.

The TMC has fielded veteran actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha from Asansol, which has a substantial Hindi-speaking population. The BJP has nominated Paul, who is the MLA from Asansol Dakshin.

''I don't want to take any names, but it seems someone who is apprehensive about defeat has lost her cool,'' Sinha said.

The Election Commission said that it has received a complaint regarding the incident. ''We will look into it,'' an official said.

The by-elections were necessitated as Babul Supriyo resigned as the MP of Asansol after switching over to the TMC from BJP, while state minister Subrata Mukherjee, who represented Ballygunge, died last year.

Supriyo is the TMC candidate in Ballygunge, where he is pitted against BJP's Keya Ghosh, and CPI(M) 's Saira Shah Halim. The Congress is also in the fray in both the seats.

Supriyo, a noted singer, visited several booths and sang songs.

The TMC alleged that Supriyo was stopped from entering a booth in the area by the central forces deputed there.

Ghosh, however, alleged that the TMC was trying to stop genuine voters from casting their votes, an allegation again termed baseless by the ruling party. On Tuesday, polling began at 7 am for the by-election amid tight security arrangements.