Over 75% vote in Bengal bypolls

Between 75 and 76 per cent votes were cast till the end of scheduled time in by-polls to the Uluberia Lok Sabha and Noapara Assembly seats in West Bengal on Monday, an Election Commission official said.

The official termed the polls as peaceful, but the opposition parties accused the state's ruling Trinamool Congress of indulging in rampant booth capturing in most of the polling centres.

"Till 5 p.m., 76.7 per cent votes were cast in Uluberia, whereas Noapara saw a 75.3 per cent turnout of voters," the poll panel official said.

The CPI-M alleged that its agents were either not allowed to enter or driven out of 391 booths in Uluberia.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the Trinamool of "keeping up its tradition" of using muscle power to clinch the votes. "They used the administrative machinery and indulged in vote loot."

State BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said five of his party workers were hospitalised when they tried to stop the Trinamool-backed "goons" who were trying to loot booths.

Nine candidates are in the fray for the Uluberia seat, where the election has been necessitated following the death of sitting Trinamool MP Sultan Ahmed.

The Trinamool Congress has nominated Ahmed's widow Sajda, while Sabiruddin Molla is the Left candidate from the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

Anupam Mallik is fighting on a BJP ticket and Madassar Hossain Warsi is the Congress nominee.

Four candidates have thrown their hats into the ring for the Noapara seat, where the death of Congress legislator Madhusudan Ghose necessitated the by-poll.

Congress contestant is Goutam Bose, that of the Trinamool is Sunil Singh while the CPI-M has nominated Gargi Chatterjee. Sandip Banerjee is the BJP candidate.

The counting of votes will take place on February 1.

--IANS

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