However, despite the violence, voter enthusiasm was high with 82.33 per cent of voters casting their ballots. Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, however, alleged “blatant misuse” of central forces to “influence voters”.
Voters stand in queues to cast their votes during the third phase of West Bengal Assembly polls in Howrah on Tuesday. Pic/PTI
Five candidates, including two women, were assaulted, while clashes between rival political groups erupted during the third phase of polling in West Bengal on Tuesday.
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However, despite the violence, voter enthusiasm was high with 82.33 per cent of voters casting their ballots. Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, however, alleged “blatant misuse” of central forces to “influence voters”.
“...@ECISVEEP continues to be a mute spectator, while men in uniform are being misused at several places to openly intimidate TMC voters and influence many to vote in favour of one party,” she tweeted.
Banerjee also claimed that BJP activists were forcibly occupying polling booths and attacking Trinamool Congress members, including party candidates, and asserted that she would not get bogged down by such “intimidatory tactics”. “Security forces have been asked not to resist booth capturing.”
Police arrested five persons — three members of the TMC and two of the BJP — for their alleged involvement in assaulting TMC candidate Sujata Mondal in Arambagh earlier on Tuesday, an officer said.
Sporadic violence in Assam
The voter turnout was 74.02 per in Kerala, 82.33 per cent in Assam, 71.79 per cent in Tamil Nadu and 78.13 per cent in Puducherry.
The voting in Assam was largely peaceful despite sporadic incidents of violence and disturbances in some areas, officials said. There were reports of a clash between two groups of people over some issues at a polling station at Dighaltari. Police resorted to lathicharge and firing in the air to control the situation but none was injured, an official said.
Two voters die in Kerala
Minor incidents of violence were also reported from few places in Kerala. At Kattayikonam in Kazhakootam constituency, a stronghold of the Marxist party in Thiruvananthapuram district, as CPI(M) and BJP workers clashed. Four BJP workers were injured and their car was damaged.
Two voters, including a woman, standing in the queue in Aranmula in Pathnamthitta and Chavittuavary in Kottayam collapsed and died.
Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who is the LDF candidate from the constituency, told reporters that the aim of the protestors was to disrupt the voting procedure and alleged that police had acted as “BJP agent”.
Claims of attacks in TN
AIADMK MP P Ravindranath’s car was allegedly attacked on Tuesday when he went to inspect polling in Bodinayakanur constituency. DMK’s Thondamuthur constituency nominee in Coimbatore district, Karthikeya Sivesenapathy alleged AIADMK and BJP people tried to attack when he was travelling in a car.
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