BHARUCH, Nov 26: The Lok Sabha by-election to the Bharuch seat yesterday saw a 60 per cent turnout, with several incidents of violence reported from different areas. The Election Commission is expected to order a re-poll in the Rajgadh Bagha polling booth (the returning officer said it had already been scheduled for Friday) following reports of booth-capturing.District Collector and returning officer B B Swain told The Indian Express that the election had been fair, free and peaceful, barring a couple of cases reported in Valia and Amod talukas. He said 25 people belonging to different parties had been detained and the matter was being looked into.However, there were attempts at violence in other areas visited by this paper. At Sodgam village, about 10 km from Valia, Ramdev Vasava, a Janata Dal polling agent, and a presiding officer were assaulted, reportedly by BJP workers. Valia police inspector G S Patel, confirmed the incident, said 10 BJP workers had been arrested in the conection and theinjured admitted to hospital.Vasava alleged that a group of BJP workers armed with swords and guns indulged in booth-capturing, forcibly stamping voters. He suffered injuries in his right eye and a suspected broken jaw.The same group of BJP workers reportedly captured another booth at Sodgam and assaulted JD agent Rakesh and presiding officer R G Vasava. When this reporter met Rakesh, he was bleeding from the head and the nose while narrating the booth-capturing episode.Police officials denied any knowledge of BJP workers possessing arms; several workers were detained following pressure brought on by JD leaders.Congress leader Ahmed Patel said the violence reported was a comment on the criminalisation of politics. Speaking on reports of a group clash between Congress and BJP workers in Amod, Swain said that it took place away from a polling booth and was brought under control by RAF personnel.He admitted that at least eight reports of minor scuffles or tiffs between some political partiesworkers were also brought to his notice, which he was looking into.Heavy polling - 65 per cent - was reported from the tribal belt and predominantly Muslim areas around Jambusar taluka. The tribal belt from Valia to Dediapada taluka - Dal candidate Chhotubhai Vasava's stronghold - also saw heavy polling, at more than 60 per cent.In Gandhinagar, chief electoral officer Balwant Singh said incidents of attempted booth capturing and bogus voting were lodged with polling authorities by the BJP and the Congress, the two main rival parties, against each other.He said three incidents of attempted booth capturing were reported from the Amod town of the constituency, while two such incidents were reported from Danda village in Amod taluka and the Chanchvel village of Vagra taluka. A complaint about bogus voting was received from the Kantharia village in Bharuch taluka.
