Central forces open fire,1 dead

A 65-year-old CPM worker,Motherbux Mullik,died in a bomb explosion outside a polling station at Bodai village in Amdanga in North 24-Parganas. The CPM leader alleged that Mullik was murdered by TMC men.

TMC worker Sanat Ghosh was shot in the afternoon near a polling station at Lakshmikantapur village at Usti in South 24-Parganas. The local TMC leaders blamed CPM cadres for the murder.

According to late night PTI reports,Sheikh Anwar Hossain (47) was beaten to death at Iyazpur under Deganga police station in North 24 Parganas district around 10 pm. PCC president Pradip Bhattacharya claimed Hossain was a Congress worker who was murdered by CPM activists.

In the second phase,three people were killed in Burdwan. A TMC activist was shot dead in South 24-Parganas district on July 18.

Till 5 pm,the turnout was 70.49 per cent in Howrah,74 per cent in South 24-Parganas,and 70 per cent in North 24-Parganas,said Tapas Roy,secretary,State Election Commission (SEC). The turnout is likely to rise with people queued up at several booths in these districts till late evening.

Notwithstanding the incidents of violence,Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed at an election rally at Rampurhat in Birbhum district that the third phase was peaceful. Alleging that the CPM had conspired to stall the elections,Mamata said,“People are not with them.”

Stray incidents of violence,booth jamming and rigging were also reported from the three districts.

The CPM cadres blocked the roads at Sodpur,Naihati and Shyamnagar in North 24-Parganas,protesting against instances of booth capturing and booth jamming by ruling party supporters.

Violence broke out at Bhangar,Canning,Kultali in South 24-Parganas and at Amdanga,Maihati,Haroa and Shyamnagar in North 24-Parganas. Snatching of ballot boxes and clashes between CPM and TMC men outside polling stations were reported from the two districts.

A CPM candidate at a zilla parishad seat at Amdanga,Sandhya Makal,was arrested for allegedly influencing the voters.

Significantly,at some polling booths in Amdanga,more than 90 per cent polling was recorded,said sources.

Ballot boxes were looted at Panchla in Howrah.

Senior CPM leader of North 24-Parganas Subhas Mukherjee said,“TMC’s armed goons are terrorising voters. They killed one of our veteran workers today by hurling bombs at him. Police are inactive and the central forces are not deployed at sensitive polling stations.”

TMC general secretary Mukul Roy said at a press conference: The polling was peaceful in the state. We saw record violence in the 2003 and 2008 panchayat elections when hundreds of villagers were killed.”

The SEC said it had not received any written complaint about the polls today,from either the CPM or other opposition parties.