West Bengal: TMC and BJP workers clash at a polling booth in Bankura

A scuffle broke out between TMC and BJP workers on Sunday at polling booth number 254 in Bankura after BJP alleged rigging by TMC workers.

Police had to interfere in order to disperse the two groups who were on the verge of clashing.

Elections in West Bengal have been marred with instances of violence, despite the presence of central security forces, with both BJP and TMC accusing each other of rigging, interfering in polling booths and threatening each other cadres.

Earlier, ahead of the commencement of polling in West Bengal on Sunday, three BJP workers were attacked in separate incidents, officials said.

In East Medinipur, BJP workers Ananta Guchait and Ranjit Maity were shot at last night in Bhagabanpur area. The injured were admitted to a hospital soon after the incident and are undergoing treatment.

Meanwhile, BJP worker Raman Singh was found dead in Gopiballabpur area of Jhargram.

BJP also accused Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers of attacking vehicles in the convoy of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP candidate from Ghatal, Bharati Ghosh, and of obstructing her entry at a polling booth in Keshpur.

Ghosh, a former IPS officer turned politician had arrived at the booth alleging that BJP polling agents were not being allowed to sit at the booth in Keshpur. She was however surrounded and heckled by female workers of TMC who tried to prevent her from entering the booth. The attack on her convoy resulted in severe injuries to one of her security personnel.

Ghosh is taking on sitting MP and Bengali actor-turned-lawmaker Deepak Adhikari from TMC.

Polling is underway for the sixth phase of elections in the country for 59 Lok Sabha seats, including 7 in Delhi, 8 in Bihar, 10 in Haryana, 8 in Madhya Pradesh, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, 8 in West Bengal and 4 in Jharkhand.

Results of the seven-phase elections will be declared on May 23.