West Bengal elections, Phase 4 : Troops watching, Bidhannagar escapes the violence of 2015

The Election Commission received a record number of complaints for this phase — 4,713 till 6.30 pm, 4,023 of these disposed of. The turnout till 5 pm was 78.05 per cent, said Sunil Gupta, chief electoral officer.

[related-post]

In Bidhannagar

At Salt Lake, The Indian Express met some of the residents who had suffered or witnessed the violence of the Bidhannagar civic polls. Mala Mukherjee, a polling agent for the Congress, was at a party camp office inside Karunamoyee Housing Estate at ED Block in Salt Lake. Here, the camp offices of the Congress and CPM had been razed allegedly by Trinamool cadres during the civic polls.

“Last time, hot tea was splashed on me and I was dragged by my hair and abused with unmentionable words,” Mala Mukherjee said. “I had great difficulty casting my vote. This time it has been a lot peaceful.”

Indra Bhushan Mukherjee, 90, a voter at AC Block, had witnessed the violence from his home at AB Block last time. “I had a tough time casting my vote then and there was a repoll,” he said. “I had to come at 7 am then to ensure I could cast my own vote. This time I came in the afternoon. The presence of the armed central forces was reassuring.”

Esha Ghosh, a first-time voter said, “After the last civic polls, the memories of which are still fresh, I was a bit apprehensive but thanks to all the security measures, there has been no trouble.”

This was at BD Block, where several bombs had been hurled on October 3 last year. Esha’s father Debashish Ghosh, who had seen a bomb being hurled at a distance of 15 feet from where he stood near the booth, described this year’s experience as a pleasant surprise.

“I have not seen this kind of peaceful voting at Salt Lake ever,” he said as he walked out of the booth with his wife and daughter. “The way central force jawans were checking vehicles at the entry points of Salt Lake ensured a sense of security,” Ghosh said. He said that since he was a local resident and known for his anti-establishment views, it would have been more difficult for him had there been less security.

TMC MLA Sujit Bose too conceded the difference. “There had been two or four incidents of violence in the last civic polls, which we had condemned, but this time polling had been very peaceful,” he said. At the same time, he alleged that the central force were overactive. “It seems there has been a curfew-like situation the way the CRPF officials are behaving,” he said.

Elsewhere in N. 24-Parganas

In Bijpur, where TMC leader Mukul Roy’s son is contesting, the Left alleged that TMC workers had attacked three-year-old Sayantika. She was allegedly flung aside when TMC workers attacked the family’s home. “TMC goons came armed and flung a bomb near our home. They said the central forces will only stay for a while, and then we will have to live with the TMC,” said Debashree Ghosh, the girl’s mother.

Eventually, the police and central armed forces arrived and escorted the family to the polling booth. “We will provide necessary protection and deploy some men at the house,” said DCP (Barrackpore) Awadhesh Pathak.

Tanmay Bhattacharya, CPM candidate in North Dum Dum, alleged he was attacked by TMC supporters. In a complaint that he lodged with the police, Bhattacharya said that a “brick was hurled at my car, shattering the glass” and alleged that a Trinamool-backed goon, “Tyapa”, attacked him.

Seven persons were named in an FIR. “Four persons have been arrested in this connection and a case under sections 341, 427, 307 and 34 of the IPC has been initiated,” said ADG (law and order) Anuj Sharma.

WATCH INDIAN EXPRESS VIDEOS HERE