The Kolkata municipal polls passed off peacefully without any major disruption on Saturday but was marred by sporadic cases of booth capture, clashes, bombing, threats and intimidations allegedly resorted to mostly by the ruling Trinamool Congress party workers. The ruling Trinamool Congress resorted to "silent terror and prevented many voters to cast their votes freely," alleged both the BJP and the CPM party leaders. When the voting stopped at 3 pm, the State Election Commission said that it had recorded about 60% polling. But there were still many voters in the queue in many areas and the percentage is likely to go up. Police sources said that there had been 58 arrests across the city in connection with poll violence. The State Election Commission said that it had received about 70 complaints during the day from different political parties regarding violence and other electoral malpractices. The Commission was examining the complaints and would consider if any repolling is necessary at any booth. "With so many complaints how can I describe the polls as peaceful?," asked the SEC – Susanta Ranjan Upadhyaya. The Trinamool Congress, however, refuted such allegations and Partha Chatterjee – the party spokesperson said that great enthusiasm was noticed among voters and they cast their ballots in an atmosphere of peace. There was no terror in any part of Kolkata. The way, the CPM had mobilised its women cadres, any violence and undemocratic polls would have seen their intervention. But they had to be restricted to their camps as the polls were held in an absolute democratic environment, said Chatterjee. Rahul Sinha, the West Bengal state BJP president said "Democracy was raped by the Trinamool Congress today. Not only common workers of the party but the Trinamool Congress supporters mounted attack on BJP and senior leaders functionaries during the polls. The polls were reduced to farce as news channels were also not allowed to function freely and take pictures of the violence". Siddharth nath Singh, the BJP national observer for West Bengal and holding charge of the state on behalf of the party said, "It is in the DNA of the Trinamool Congress to resort to such violence. The polls had been far from free and fair." Several companies of para-military forces were deployed during the polls along with state and Kolkata police battalions and Rapid Action Force. The State Election Commission which had hired a drone for aerial surveillance pressed it into service in the Cossipore area of north Kolkata where group clashes had broken out prior to the poll date. But the area was more or less peaceful barring a couple of incidents of bomb hurling and minor skirmishes. The West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee cast her vote at Mitra Institution in North Kolkata at about 2.30 pm. The sitting Mayor of Kolkata Sovandev Chatterjee, who had already been declared as the Mayoral candidate by Mamata Banerjee cast his vote in ward no 131 and said the polls were held peacefully and common people were seen coming out in good numbers, standing in the queue to cast their votes. During election, there prevails an atmosphere of tension among the political party workers but overall the situation was totally peaceful and under control, said the Mayor. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee – the CPM leader who had given a call for the party workers to resist any violence and come out to vote in this crucial polls – was seen at Patha Bhavan school with wife Meera Bhatatcharjee. Both cast their votes peacefully. Surya Kanta Mishra, the party’s state secretary and politburo member who is now in Vishakhapatnam told media persons the polls in Bengal had been rigged by the Trinamool Congress. "The Trinamool Congress let loose terror but the Left cadres will not succumb to such terror. They will continue to fight," said Mishra. In ward no 22, where BJP’s Meena Devi Purohit – a former deputy Mayor of Kolkata was contesting there was tension early in the morning when Mrs Purohit complained that her personal assistant has been manhandled by Trinamool Congress workers. The BJP also alleged that lot of unknown faces were seen in the ward and Trinamool Congress was using them as proxy voters. The Trinamool Congress however, refuted the charges and said the BJP had organized “fake voters” and trying to cast false votes. The police intervened and brought the situation under control. In ward no 60 in central there was tension and the RAF had to be deployed when Congress and Trinamool Congress supporters came to blows and there was allegation from the Congress camp that TMC workers had fired form revolvers in the air to scare away Congress workers. Several Congress workers were severely assaulted who had bleeding injuries. However, the Trinamool Congress workers in the area alleged that the Congress candidate had stored bombs in his house and a search should be conducted. Sniffer dogs were brought in and a house search revealed two powerful bombs from the terrace of the Congress candidate. The Congress candidate however, said that someone had planted those without his knowledge.
