Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's ruling Trinamool Congress is locked in a multi-cornered contest with the BJP, the CPIM-led Left Front and the Congress.
Widespread violence marred the civic polls in West Bengal on Sunday in the first three hours with voting underway across 108 municipalities.
About 16 per cent polling was registered in 107 municipalities out of the 108 where elections are under way. Election to Dinhata municipality in Cooch Behar district is not being held as the TMC has won all 16 wards uncontested.
The battle-hardened soldiers of Bengal’s political army relied on time-tested and home-made weapons like crude bombs, rods, sticks and their own punches and kicks - all to grab the more than 2,200 wards across 108 civic bodies in the state which went to poll.
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A reporter and a cameraperson of a private channel were assaulted along with the North Dum Dum municipality’s ward 31 candidate of CPM Shibshankar Ghosh.
Reports of Opposition candidates being beaten up, allegations of false voting, booth rigging, and other electoral malpractices started pouring in since polling began at 7 am.
In Bhatpara, the BJP candidate’s husband was accused of destroying electronic voting machines (EVM). In Barrackpore, an Independent candidate was severely beaten up, allegedly by TMC workers.
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The Supreme Court on Friday had rejected a petition by a BJP leader over the deployment of central forces in the state. The polling will continue till 5 pm, the state election commission has said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's ruling Trinamool Congress is locked in a multi-cornered contest with the BJP, the CPIM-led Left Front and the Congress. Nearly 95 lakh people - across 2,171 wards - are eligible to elect their mayors and ward representatives in the Bengal civic polls. Over 8,000 candidates are fighting the polls, news agency PTI reported. In 103 wards - with only single candidate declared as uncontested winners, voting is not taking place.
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