Voting in the second phase of the Lok Sabha election got underway in West Bengal on Friday, with Darjeeling, Raiganj, and Balurghat constituencies recording 15.68% polling by 9 am. BJP state president Sukanta Majumder alleged that the ruling TMC was indulging in “hooliganism” in Balurghat, an accusation denied by the TMC. Polling commenced at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm. The polling percentage in Raiganj stood at 16.61, while Darjeeling and Balurghat recorded 14.76 and 14.7, respectively. BJP state chief Sukanta Majumder, seeking re-election from the Balurghat seat, is pitted against veteran TMC leader and state minister Biplab Mitra in this phase. While casting his vote in Balurghat, Majumder engaged in a verbal altercation with voters outside a polling booth, claiming that a BJP worker had been beaten up. “The police are doing nothing. TMC workers within 100 metres of the booth are shouting slogans at us. Our booth agent was beaten up. The TMC is indulging in hooliganism to win the election,” asserted Majumder. He further stated that a complaint had been lodged with the Election Commission against the TMC. The poll body has directed the administration to submit an action-taken report in connection with the incident. The Trinamool Congress, however, refuted the allegations, claiming that Majumder and central forces were intimidating voters outside the polling booth. Meanwhile, the Election Commission received over 240 minor complaints from both the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the latter accusing ruling party workers of voter intimidation, booth rigging, and flouting electoral norms. According to the Election Commission, polling in West Bengal has been peaceful so far on Friday.
Second Phase of Lok Sabha Elections in West Bengal: 15.68% Polling Recorded in Darjeeling, Raiganj, and Balurghat
