The pre-election campaigns and the central force expeditions showed a lot of concern regarding the safety of the voters on the part of the election commission. However, the scenario changed totally by 360 degrees during the polls. Somewhere the central force is seen as a customer to the meat and sweet shop while somewhere they are found sleeping and relaxing. Yesterday at Murshidabad, Hazarduari, the election surveyor was seen as a tourist.
Monday that is 11th April was the second day the first phase election of the State Legislative Assembly. The polls were done at 31 constituencies out of which 13 are at West Midnapore and nine at Burdwan and Bankura each. While the leaders of the political parties like Adhir Chowdhury, the C.M candidate of C.P.I.M Suryakanta Mishra, CM Mamata Bannerjee and others are busy mudslinging at each other, the local leaders and the workers are getting indulged into clashes leading to severe violence all over West Bengal. At Nandi, the TMC went into a clash with BJP, the ruling party of the state clashed with CPIM at Sattar where CPIM supporter’s houses were set on fire. On the other hand polling, agents of CPIM at Jamuria were hospitalised in a severely injured condition.
When asked voters of these areas alleged that the Central Force is not at all active and the voters are visiting the poll booths with high life risk due threats from the ruling party. However, the local leaders stated clearly that all these are false allegations. Overall allegations like false vote casting, creating an atmosphere full of terror, candidates entering the polling area and all other illegal activities are being raised by the voters.
