A report from Chinsurah in Hooghly district said a villager sustained head injury when he was allegedly attacked by Trinamool Congress supporters at Puin village in Arambag constituency for casting his vote.
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Election Commission had taken some “very effective measures” for this fifth phase of polling, that included night patrolling by central police forces, additional nakas in the three districts, especially during night time to help avoid entry of outsiders into the constituencies, the Deputy Election Commissioner said. In Hooghly’s Singur constituency, polling was peaceful in all 16 gram panchayats, EC reports said.
He said two presiding officers – one in Tarakeshawar and another in Arambagh – of Hooghly district were removed for helping voters to cast their votes.
Altogether 349 candidates, including 43 women, are trying their luck in today’s election across three districts – Kolkata South, South 24 Parganas and Hooghly.
A clutch of celebrities – actresses Roopa Ganguly, Moon Moon Sen and her daughters Riya and Raima, Rituparna Sengupta, Indrani Haldar, veteran actor Ranjit Mullick, and former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly – expressed their democratic choice.
Both the CPI-M and the Congress demanded her immediate arrest.
There are about 1.2 crore eligible voters and over 14,500 polling booths in today’s round.
Left Front-Congress backed independent nominee Ambikesh Mahapatra alleged voters were being prevented from entering booths in his constituency Behala East.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Chandra Bose was also seen exercising his franchise.
In the 2011 assembly polls, theTrinamool had captured 46 seats. The Socialist Unity Cetre of India-Communist had bagged one.
“People have resisted the attempts of violence that TMC had tried to unleash, although in certain places they succeeded. But people along with the security forces have resisted it. We salute the role of the Election Commission, security forces and police forces in ensuring free and fair polls”, CPI(M) Politburo member Mohammed Salim said.
Another star candidate is Abdur Rezzak Mollah, a high-profile minister during the Left Front regime, who is contesting on a Trinamool ticket from Bhangore in South 24 Parganas.
The opposition also claimed that voters in the rural areas under Caning East, Canning West, Bhangar, Gosaba and Kakdwip in the district were not allowed to cast their votes as they were threatened by TMC goons.
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After Saturday’s polls, elections have been held in 269 of the 294 constituencies in the state. Phase 4 of polls recorded a voter turnout of 81.25 per cent.
