The final phase of voting in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal was largely peaceful, except for a few incidents of sporadic violence. The state, with 69.89% voting, registered the highest turnout across the country till 5 pm.
Amid the ongoing Sandeshkhali controversy that has captured national attention, Basirhat emerged as a focal point. The North 24 Parganas constituency recorded an impressive voter turnout of 76.57 per cent, the highest among the nine constituencies in the state that went to the polls on Saturday.
Mathurapur, Joynagar and Diamond Harbour followed it with 74.13 per cent , 73.44 per cent and 72.87 per cent respectively. Barasat with 71.8 per cent voting and Jadavpur with 70.41 per cent were next in the line.
Dum Dum saw voting of 67.6 per cent, while Kolkata Uttar and Kolkata Dakshin constituencies registered the lowest voter turnouts at 59.23 per cent and 60.88 per cent, respectively.
Meanwhile, BJP and Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers repeatedly clashed with each other in Sandeshkhali, resulting in injury of two TMC cadre and one BJP worker. The police resorted to lathicharge to bring the situation under control.
At some places, women blocked roads to protest against alleged police atrocities. In retaliation, police fired teargas shells, injuring a woman and some BJP workers. One TMC worker was allegedly lynched by BJP supporters in Sandeshkhali’s Sarbareia.
In Jadavpur’s Bhangar, Trinamool and Indian Secular Front (ISF) supporters hurled crude bombs at each other. At Kultuli in Joynagar, angry voters threw EVMs and VV-PAT machines into ponds.
However, the larger picture on the last polling day was peaceful, as it has been the case in West Bengal throughout the seven-phase 18th Lok Sabha election. A big reason for that has been the large and gradual increase in deployment of central armed police forces (CAPF) in each phase. As many as 967 CAPF companies were deployed in the seventh phase, up from 919 companies in the sixth leg.
In the final two phases of the West Bengal elections, the focus shifted to communal issues. However, Kolkata, known for its communal harmony, remained steadfast in its identity. Representatives from all faiths voted peacefully in the city. From nuns affiliated with the Missionaries of Charity to ISKCON monks, everyone participated in the festival of democracy.
Being the cultural capital of the country, art and culture people draw a large attention in Kolkata. Many film and TV celebrities and artistes were seen exercising their right to vote.
