Gunfire and clashes at polling booths, the death of a CRPF jawan, and allegations of EVMs being damaged marred the electoral process in Manipur, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, even as Election Commission officials said the overall process was smooth.
The poll body had unique challenges in two of the states — while Manipur has been in the grip of ethnic violence since May last year, Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district cast its vote under the shadow of Naxalism. West Bengal had, in the aftermath of the 2021 Assembly polls, seen violence that claimed the lives of workers across the political spectrum.
According to officials in Manipur, there were multiple incidents of gunfire close to polling stations in the valley areas. Around 2 pm, a person identified as Khoisnam Sayamaima (65) received a bullet injury at a polling station in Khurai, Imphal East. Later, the polling station was vandalised and documents set ablaze, officials said. According to the booth level officer, two armed miscreants came into the polling station, enquiring about Congress and BJP polling agents, and tried to forcefully take the Congress agent away before being stopped by voters and volunteers.
“There have been a few more instances in which EVMs have reportedly been damaged. Along with this, there are also a few cases of people saying they were coerced and intimidated. Once all the reports are received, they will be analysed and there will be decisions taken on whether re-polling needs to be done anywhere,” said an election official.
According to poll officials, eight EVMs were damaged in Imphal East and West districts.
There was also an incident of gunfire at Thamanpokpi in Bishnupur district in the morning. Both these areas are located in the Inner Manipur constituency, which covers most of the state’s Meitei majority valley, and where there are six candidates in the fray.
Throughout the day, there were reports of the presence of armed people — suspected to be members of radical armed Meitei group Arambai Tenggol — at polling stations in the valley. Congress candidate Bimol Akoijam got into an argument with police personnel at a polling station at Kyamgei Heibong Makhong High School in Imphal East, where he alleged that Congress polling agents were being threatened.
The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee has submitted a complaint to the Chief Election Officer (CEO) of booth capture by armed miscreants in polling stations in Heinang, Thongju, Kanthoujam, Oinam, Khurai, Sekmai, Sugnu, and Keirao Assembly segments — all of which are located in the valley. Except for Sugnu, which comes under the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha constituency, the others come under the Inner Manipur seat.
Manipur CEO Pradeep Kumar Jha confirmed that an EVM was damaged in Thongju in Imphal East. There has also been vandalism in at least one more polling station, in Uripok in Imphal West, officials said.
The CEO said that they received complaints from some polling stations in Imphal West of people intimidating voters and agents, and attempting to capture booths.
Saikhom Biren, a voter from Thongju in Imphal East, where angry voters destroyed an EVM alleging coercion and interference in the voting process, said, “I came to vote only to find that Arambai people had cast my vote. This shows that there is no law at all. Why didn’t they field a candidate of their choice if they want to get involved in the election?”
Maheshwar Thounaojam, the candidate of the Republican Party of India (A), said, “Voters are deprived of their rights to choose. They have come out to vote hoping for a solution. The picture is becoming clearer as to who is behind all this chaos. The voting carried out today is unacceptable. Repoll should be carried out for all the polling stations.”
Despite the incidents, EC officials said polling in Manipur had been relatively smooth given that the state has been facing ethnic strife. “You have to see the incidents in Manipur in light of the situation in the state. The one or two polling booths where outsiders entered could have repoll. Apart from that, the polling has been smooth in the Left Wing Extremism affected areas, zero incidents in Tripura and only sporadic incidents in West Bengal,” a senior official said.
IED blast kills jawan
In Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, a 32-year-old CRPF jawan was killed in an IED blast near a polling booth. In a separate IED blast, also in Bijapur, another CRPF man was injured. Both incidents took place under the Maoist-affected Bastar constituency which went to the polls on Friday.
The victim, Devendra Kumar (32), a constable with the CRPF’s Battalion 196, was among those out on an area domination exercise around 500 metres from the polling booth in the Galgam area — around 55 kilometres from Bijapur district headquarters — when the blast took place.
He was airlifted to Jagdalpur city in Bastar district and admitted to Jagdalpur Medical College Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
A resident of Dhobiguda in Bastar, Kumar joined the CRPF in 2013 and had been transferred to Assam from Chhattisgarh before being transferred back to the state in 2022. He is survived by his mother.
The area where the blast took place lacks road connectivity, and for safety reasons, polling parties were airdropped to their respective areas by the Air Force.
In the other incident, which took place in the Chihaka area of Bijapur, a CRPF assistant commandant suffered injuries to his hands and legs when an IED went off.
In all, there are 156 polling booths under the Bastar constituency where polling parties had to be airdropped. Security forces have been expecting backlash from Maoists during the elections due to a surge in anti-Naxal operations this year, in which 79 Maoists have been killed so far. Earlier this week, 29 Maosists were killed in an encounter in Kanker.
The other 10 constituencies in Chhattisgarh will go to the polls in the next two phases — April 26 and May 7.
Blame game in Bengal
In West Bengal’s Cooch Behar constituency, Union Minister Nisith Pramanik accused state minister Udayan Guha of orchestrating violence.
In Sitalkuchi area, which had witnessed the death of four persons in firing by CISF personnel during the 2021 state Assembly polls, the TMC alleged that BJP workers thrashed its polling agents and voters were stopped from entering a few booths. The BJP, on the other hand, alleged that TMC workers pelted stones at them.
In Mathabhanga area of the constituency, a minor clash broke out between TMC and BJP workers who confronted each other following allegations of voter intimidation.
In Chandmari area, BJP workers alleged that voters were not allowed to enter booths and that TMC members had taken control of polling stations to rig the election. The TMC denied the charges.
TMC block president from Bethaguri, Anant Barman, was hospitalised after allegedly being beaten up by BJP members. State minister and veteran TMC leader Udayan Guha met the party leaders and held the BJP responsible for the attack.
“The BJP, along with central forces, has unleashed a reign of terror to rig the Lok Sabha election. Our workers are being beaten up,” said Guha.
Pramanik, meanwhile, slammed the state minister for allegedly resorting to violence to win the election. “Sensing defeat, the TMC is trying to intimidate voters by instigating its workers against us. In various places, BJP workers have been attacked. Wherever Udayan Guha is going, he is provoking people to indulge in violence. This clearly shows they have become desperate to win the election, but people have made up their mind to once again elect us from Cooch Behar,” he said.
Visuals of violence reported at a polling station in Imphal West, Manipur. (PTI) 
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