West Bengal polls end, not the complaints

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Rabindra Nath Ghosh, a Trinamool Congress candidate in Cooch Behar district, allegedly threatened a polling officer. TV showed Ghosh apparently entering a booth and arguing with the officer, going on to ask him where he was employed. The other key Trinamool candidate in Cooch Behar, Udayan Guha, was seen moving around in a vehicle with a TMC logo. Police alleged he was trying to influence voters. The EC has asked for FIRs to be lodged against both of them.

Akshay Thakur, the Forward Bloc candidate against Udayan, attacked his former colleague. “Udayan was with us, his father Kamal Guha was a legend in Forward Bloc,” Thakur said. “But his joining the Trinamool Congress and then tolerating insults against his father have made one thing clear — he has lost his sense of righteousness.”

Nandigram too voted Thursday. Voting was largely peaceful, though a skirmish between the CRPF and voters at Kadaribad Chowk in Khejuri police station held things up for about an hour.

In Shonachura village in Nandigram, where 14 persons died in the police firing of 2007, voting was peaceful. “Everyone turned out to vote. It is Suvendu Adhikari’s area and everyone, including myself, has voted for him,” said resident Dulal Giri.

In Haldia, Trinamool councillor S K Abdul Kadir was caned by central forces for unlawful assembly near a booth. He alleged it was an unprovoked attack. “There was no unlawful assembly and I have filed an FIR at the local PS against the attack on me,” he said.

TMC candidate from Haldia Madhurima Mondal complained that the forces had gone overboard. “Shops beyond 100 metres were shut and party flags removed from beyond the restricted area,” she said.

Her CPM rival, Tapasi Mondal, complained of attempts of bogus voting by TMC workers at some booths. “People were coming to cast their votes with the same voter ID card and the presiding officer was not objecting to it,” Mondal said.

In Tamluk, too, TMC workers complained of excesses by central forces.

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