Page 2 - Wb Panchayat Polls

Happenings in West Bengal under CM Banerjee frightening: Digvijaya Singh

Against the backdrop of violence in Panchayat polls in West Bengal, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday said the happenings under the watch of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are frightening and unpardonable. What is happening in Panchayat Polls in Bengal is frightening. I have been an admirer of Mamata of her grit and determination but what is happening is unpardonable. We know you bravely faced a similar situation in the CPM rule but what is happening now is not good for our Democracy, Digvijaya Singh tweeted on Monday morning. Notably, comments of Singh, a Rajya Sabha member, came amid efforts by the Opposition to form a united bloc to take on BJP in the next Lok Sabha elections. On June 23, Opposition parties, including Congress and Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, met in Patna. That meeting was attended by Banerjee, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi among others. Polling was held on Saturday in West Bengal in more than 61,000 booths for the

Cong moves HC over panchayat poll violence, seeks compensation for victims

The Calcutta High Court on Monday allowed senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to file a petition seeking compensation to victims of panchayat poll violence in West Bengal and an investigation into it by an independent agency. Submitting personally before the bench presided by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam, Chowdhury, the state Congress president, alleged that entire West Bengal was ravaged by unprecedented violence during the elections held on July 8. Claiming that most of the deceased belonged to the poor, vulnerable and underprivileged sections of society, he prayed before the court that the next of kin of the deceased and the injured be given monetary compensation. He also sought an investigation into the incidents of violence, including killings and use of firearms and crude bombs, by an independent agency. The bench, also comprising Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya, granted leave to him to file the petition. Chowdhury prayed for granting some pecuniary benefit so that t

West Bengal voters happy with re-poll under heavy security arangements

"Today, it feels like an election day. We can see the central forces today", said Anamika Mandal, who came to cast her vote at Tikiapara Primary High School in the Murshidabad district

Repolling begins in 19 districts of WB where elections were declared void

Repolling began at 7 am on Monday in 696 booths across 19 districts of West Bengal where voting for the panchayat elections was declared void amid allegations of tampering with ballot boxes and the violence that left 15 people dead, officials said. The repolling will be held till 5 pm amid tight security with four central forces personnel deployed in each of those booths, besides state police, they said. Among the districts where repolling was being held, violence-hit Murshidabad has the highest number of booths at 175, followed by Malda with 109, they added. Repolling was also being held at 89 booths in Nadia, followed by Cooch Behar (53), North 24 Parganas (46), Uttar Dinajpur (42), South 24 Parganas (36), Purba Medinipur (31) and Hooghly (29), officials said. No repolling was ordered in Darjeeling, Jhargram and Kalimpong districts, they said. The decision for repolling in these 696 booths was announced by the State Election Commission (SEC) on Sunday evening after reviewing rep

WB governor arrives in Delhi, likely to meet Home Minister Amit Shah

Governor Bose is likely to call on Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the widespread violence during the panchayat polls in West Bengal

WB Panchayat Polls: BJP MP alleges ballot rigging, demands re-polling

He further alleged that ballot boxes are still missing, adding that TMC is attempting to capture the panchayats like they captured the government

MHA directed Central forces to arrive late in Bengal: Adhir Chowdhury

West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday alleged the Union Home Ministry had directed the Central forces to delay their coming to the state to help ruling Trinamool Congress loot votes during the panchayat poll. He also alleged that the BJP in New Delhi and the TMC had reached an understanding and "in exchange for this favour" TMC chief Mamata Banerjee would "play spoilsport" in the fight of a united opposition against the saffron party in 2024 Lok Sabha elections. "The Central forces were late in coming to Bengal under the instructions of the Union Home Minister and the BJP in New Delhi. They have an understanding with the TMC in Bengal and that is the reason the central forces were late in coming. They gave TMC the opportunity to loot votes, that is because, in the future, Didi (Mamata Banerjee) will be a 'gaddar' (traitor ) to break the proposed opposition front," Chowdhury said. Chowdhury was speaking to reporters after paying a visit to

West Bengal guv flies to Delhi to submit report on poll violence to Shah

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Sunday flew to New Delhi, where he is likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a report on the violence that took place during the panchayat elections in the state, an official said. At least 15 people were killed in violence during polling in the state on Saturday. Bose is likely to meet Shah on Monday morning, the official told PTI. The state governor had visited various places, mostly in North 24 Parganas district, and taken stock of the situation on Saturday during the polling. He had met family members of an injured person and had also visited a hospital, where the person was undergoing treatment.

West Bengal Governor Ananda Bose to visit Delhi, likely to meet Amit Shah

Meanwhile, West Bengal State Election Commission on Sunday said the Police have confirmed 10 deaths in poll-related violence across the state

Protests over West Bengal panchayat polls irregularities turn violent

Protests were held in different parts of West Bengal on Sunday against the violence that rocked the panchayat elections and over allegations of irregularities. The toll in the violence rose to 15 after a person was found dead in South 24 Parganas, and two others succumbed to their injuries, officials said. BJP supporters staged a demonstration outside the State Election Commission office in Kolkata. Security was beefed up in the area as the protestors shouted slogans against the SEC over the alleged "inability" of the poll panel to conduct the elections peacefully. In Purba Medinipur district, BJP workers blocked the Haldia-Mecheda state highway at Nandakumar alleging that ballot boxes were being tampered with at the counting centre at Srikrishnapur High School. "We received information around 3 am that the ballot boxes were being changed. We are demanding repolling at all the booths in the area under the protection of central forces, besides counting of votes at the booths itself,

Police confirmed 10 deaths in panchayat poll-related violence: Bengal SEC

He added that while political violence and clashes during elections were nothing new in Bengal, the scale of violence seen during the polling for the panchayats on Saturday was 'unprecedented'

BJP holds protest outside SEC office against Bengal rural poll violence

BJP supporters on Sunday staged a demonstration in front of the office of West Bengal State Election Commission here, protesting against the panchayat poll violence that left 15 people dead. Security was beefed up around the SEC office in the city as BJP workers shouted slogans against the alleged "inability" of the commission to conduct the elections peacefully. A delegation of the BJP's state unit went inside the office to meet State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha, a party leader said. A total of 73,887 seats in the state's three-tier panchayat system went to the polls on Saturday, with 2.06 lakh candidates in the fray. A voter turnout of 66.28 per cent was recorded provisionally, officials said. The toll in the violence during the rural polls rose to 15 after a person was found dead in South 24 Parganas, and two others succumbed to their injuries, they said. The BJP, which blamed the state election commissioner for the poll-related deaths, shot off a letter to Union Home ..

BJP alleges central forces 'deliberately' not deployed in panchayat polls

The opposition BJP in West Bengal on Sunday alleged that the central forces were not deployed "deliberately" during the panchayat elections, inviting a sharp retort from the ruling TMC which said there was no guarantee that violence would not have happened if the forces were deployed. BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh said if the central forces were deployed in sensitive places, there would not have been so much violence, and people could have exercised their franchise freely and without fear. "The central forces were not deployed in sensitive areas deliberately," he said. Ghosh alleged that instead of deploying the forces in the polling booths, they were made to patrol highways or were kept at police stations. "Even where they were deployed, that was done only after the violence and looting of votes," he claimed. "They were ordered to be deployed in all booths by the Calcutta High Court, but that was not done," he said. TMC said there was no guarantee that violence would n

Anurag Thakur expresses concern over panchayat election violence in Bengal

The deteriorating law and order situation in Bengal, which has resulted in multiple deaths and injuries, has drew attention and raised worries throughout the country and abroad, he said

West Bengal: Death toll in panchayat election violence rises to 15

The toll in the violence during panchayat elections in West Bengal rose to 15 after a person was found dead in South 24 Parganas, and two others succumbed to their injuries, officials said on Sunday. A person, identified as Abu Salem Khan, was found dead near a polling booth in West Gabtala in ??Kultali police station area. He had injuries on his head, they said. He was known to be a TMC worker in the area, locals said. Police said they are investigating the cause of the death. Tension was palpable in the area, and a large police contingent was deployed to prevent any further flare-up. Another TMC worker, identified as Azhar Lashkar, injured during violence in the district's Basanti area on Saturday night died at the state-run SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, doctors who were treating him said. In Malda district's Baishannagar, TMC worker Motiur Rahman was stabbed outside a polling booth. The incident happened near KBC primary school in the Barkamat area, officials said. TMC alleged th

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury meets victim's familyof Panchayat poll violence

There were reports of booth capturing, damaging of ballot boxes and assault of presiding officers from several districts such as Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, Malda, South 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur

Protests held in various parts of Bengal turn violent over panchayat polls

Protests were held in different parts of West Bengal on Sunday against the violence that rocked the panchayat elections and over allegations of irregularities. In Purba Medinipur district, BJP workers blocked the Haldia-Mecheda state highway at Nandakumar alleging that ballot boxes were being tampered with at the counting centre at Srikrishnapur High School. "We received information around 3 am that the ballot boxes were being changed. We are demanding repolling at all the booths in the area under the protection of central forces, besides counting of votes at the booths itself," said Tamas Dinda, a leader of the BJP's youth wing in Tamluk. As the situation escalated, police baton-charged the protesters to bring the situation under control, officer-in-charge of Nandakumar police station Manoj Kumar Jha told PTI. Congress workers blocked the National Highway 12 in Rathbari area in Malda, protesting against the violence during polling on Saturday. "We have hit the streets in protest

Will look into poll violence complaints, demands for re-poll: Bengal SEC

Bengal State Election Commissioner (SEC) Rajiva Sinha on Saturday promised to look into complaints of vote tampering and to take a decision on possible re-polling after receiving reports from observers and returning officers. Sinha said the most number of complaints on incidents of violence during the day's polling came from four districts, and they would all be taken into account while reviewing the poll process. The SEC, who had to face a lot of flak from various political parties, said that a decision on re-polling would be taken on Sunday when observers and returning officers would scrutinise and review the polling process. "I have been getting information (of violence and clashes) since last night. Calls were directly made to me as well as to the Control room phone numbers on these incidents. "The maximum number of such incidents on Saturday were reported from three to four districts like North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Murshidabad district," Sinha told PTI. The SEC,

Bengal governor takes stock of panchayat polls, meets bomb-attack victim

As part of his assurance to monitor the situation in West Bengal where panchayat polls are being held, Governor Dr CV Ananda Bose on Saturday visited the residence of a person who was injured in a bomb attack in North 24 Parganas' Barasat-I subdivision. After speaking to his family members at Pirgachha, Bose went to the hospital in Barasat where the person is being treated and talked to doctors, an official said. "The Governor then arranged for the shifting of the person to city-based RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. He also took stock of the situation and enquired about polling," he told PTI. Bose, who was supposed to travel to Nadia district, was stopped near Basudebpur on Kalyani Expressway by supporters of the BJP and CPI(M) who complained about "vote looting" and urged him to take action. Bose tried calling officials of the state election commission (SEC) and police but could not because of mobile connectivity issues, the official said. He later stopped at a rest house at

Cong leader seeks urgent hearing of HC to declare rural polls null and void

Congress leader Kaustav Bagchi said he made a representation to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court seeking an urgent hearing of a prayer seeking that Saturday's panchayat elections in West Bengal be declared null and void on account of violence and killings. Six people were killed till noon since the panchayat polls started at 7 am and another three died in alleged poll-related violence since midnight in the state. Seeking constitution of a special bench for an urgent hearing on Saturday, Bagchi, who is also a lawyer, said he has made a representation to the Chief Justice. He prayed that the rural polls in the state be declared null and void. "I have prayed that the court take suo motu cognisance of the violence and killings and violation of the high court's earlier orders to ensure free and fair polls," he said.