Cooch Behar Stone-Pelting: Voting for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections is underway across 21 states on 102 seats, amid reports of stone-pelting from West Bengal, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Santanu Sen accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of resorting to hooliganism in anticipation of defeat in key constituencies. Notably, polling is underway in Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar, where Sen alleged targetted attacks on TMC workers by BJP supporters.
“BJP has come to know that they are going to be badly defeated in these three regions, hence from the first hour they have chosen the path of hooliganism, and in every area our TMC workers are being beaten.BJP knows that they are going to lose in these three constituencies (Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar) from the first hour,” Santanu told ANI.
Reports of stone pelting emerged from the Cooch Begar constituency, where central forces intervened to disperse the perpetrators. This incident follows an attack on two TMC members in the same constituency on Thursday night, just hours before polling commenced. North Bengal Development Minister and TMC’s Dinhata MLA Udayan Guha accused the saffron party of orchestrating the attack.
Amidst escalating tensions, TMC leader Sen criticised West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, accusing him of “biased behaviour” fovouirng the BJP. “The work of governor is to work as Constitutional head, however, what we see as they work on the behest of BJP...In West Bengal, the law and order situation is good comparatively other states...If the EC stays neutral and provides a level playing field to all, then here elections will take place peacefully...Governor has been used to disturb the state government,” he said.
His remarks came in the wake of a complaint lodged by the Bengal ruling party against Governor Bose, accusing him of “illegally interfering” in the campaigning of the Lok Sabha elections. The party had demanded Election Commission of India (ECI) take action against the Governor. In response to the allegations against him, Bose called off his planned visit to Alipurdaur in North Bengal.