New Delhi: BJP MP and union minister Babu Supriyo was caught in poll violence in Asansol on Monday as his car was vandalised after he had a heated argument with polling officials inside the booth.
Supriyo, the BJP candidate from Asansol, was on his way to a polling booth in Barabani when his car was attacked. The rear windshield of Supriyo’s car was smashed in the resulting clashes outside polling booth number 199.
The BJP MP was involved in a verbal spat with polling officers over his claims of incidents of booth capturing. Supriyo alleged that TMC workers had barred BJP’s polling agents from entering the polling stations.
He said he had decided to head to the polling booths after receiving early reports of clashes.
"I have come here just to see how the polling process is underway, but I found that voters are not being allowed to cast their ballots. Our fight is to establish democracy... It is shameful that I am saying this in a democratic country," the minister said.
However, an EC official said by and large, polling has so far been peaceful.
"There are reports of small incidents of violence from some booths which were addressed immediately. Our officials and forces are monitoring the situation in Asansol," the official told said.
"We have sought a report from the presiding officer about what Babul Supriyo was doing inside the booth," he added.
Both the TMC and the BJP have sent delegations to the Election Commission, accusing the other party of instigating violence.
In a series of tweets, Supriyo alleged “violence and brutal intimidation” on part of TMC workers and claimed that polling booths in Damra, Chittaranjan and Raniganj had been captured and BJP polling agents had been chased off.
Supriyo is seeking re-election from Asansol and he is up against TMC’s Moon Moon Sen in the constituency.
Eight seats in West Bengal — Asansol, Birbhum, Berhampur, Krishnanagar, Ranaghat, Burdawan East, Burdawan-Durgapur and Bolpur — are in the poll fray in Phase 4.
Comments
0 comment