Political clashes and allegations of booth rigging marked the critical second phase of elections in West Bengal on Thursday, with chief minister Mamata Banerjee asserting she would move court over alleged irregularities, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying she was nervous about losing Nandigram, where she is fighting her former lieutenant Suvendu Adhikari.
Tensions ran high altogether 30 seats in West Bengal that visited the polls as parties traded allegations of malpractice, candidates’ convoys were attacked, and workers thrashed. It, however, didn’t hamper voting. The provisional turnout was 80.43% in Bengal with Nandigram recording 80.79% polling till 5pm. The 39 constituencies that voted in Assam saw 77.21% turnout.
Mamta Banerjee spent the day crisscrossing the agricultural seat that was crucial in propelling the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to power in 2011. Around 1.30pm, she visited a booth in Boyal and criticised the committee (EC) for alleged inaction over complaints of rigging.
