West Bengal polls: People stopped from voting in Contai, alleges Adhikari

Soumendu Adhikari, BJP leader and brother of Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday alleged that people were being stopped from voting at a polling centre in Contai.

"Voters being influenced and stopped from voting at booth number 149. Overall polling is being held peacefully. EVMs are malfunctioning at some locations; it happens in all polls, the EC is looking into it," Soumendu Adhikari told ANI.

The BJP leader said there should be free and fair polls and they have approached the Election Commission.

"We approached the EC that there should be free and fair polls. People will choose whom they want. TMC is scared. We have given the name of one Alauddin to Election Commission, he created disturbance there," Adhikari said.

Soumendu Adhikari, a former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, joined BJP earlier this year ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.

Polling is underway on 30 seats covering all assembly constituencies in the districts of Purulia and Jhargram and a segment of Bankura, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur. The first phase of polling will decide the electoral fate of 191 candidates including 21 women.

The state is witnessing a triangular contest this time with Trinamool Congress (TMC), Congress-Left alliance and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the fray.

However, the power-packed campaigns involving stormy rallies and mega roadshows were mostly dominated by the ruling TMC and the BJP. The third front i.e. the coalition of the Congress, Left Front and Indian Secular Force has been observed to be on the back foot when it comes to fierce campaigning.

In the first phase, the total number of general electorates is 73,80,942 in which there are 37,52,938 male voters, 36,27,949 female voters and 55 of the third gender.

Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly are being held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.