The BRICS TimesWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit out hard on polling day claiming outside observers and unfamiliar police are going after TMC leaders and workers while Bengal votes in its crucial second and final phase. She pointed to a late-night CRPF raid on a councillor’s home as proof of what she called a deliberate crackdown.
Mamata Steps Out Early And Comes Out Swinging
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was out on the streets of Kolkata far earlier than usual on Wednesday the day Bengal voted in the second and final phase of its Assembly elections. Barely after ballots began getting cast, Banerjee left her Kalighat residence and rushed to Chetla, something sharply different from her past election-day habits. Her reason her party’s youth block president had been arrested that very morning.
Speaking directly to the media, an agitated Banerjee fired off a barrage of allegations against the election machinery. She said outside observers and police officers with no understanding of Bengal’s ground realities were being deployed with a single aim to go after Trinamool Congress workers and agents.
“CRPF Goons Attacked My Councillor’s Home at 2 AM”
Banerjee’s most explosive allegation came with a specific incident. She claimed that around 2 am on Tuesday night, a CRPF team without any local police entered the house of her party’s Ward 70 councillor in Kolkata. The councillor was not at home. Only his wife and children were present.
“Last night, around 2 am, a team of CRPF Gunda, sorry, not Gunda CRPF force went to my Ward 70 councillor’s house without the local police and attacked his house. His wife was alone with their children. When he said he wasn’t home, the CRPF assaulted them kicked them, snatched their phone, and warned that he should not do any party work. I can show you the proof,” she said, barely holding back her outrage.
She also alleged that TMC polling agents were being beaten up by central forces citing a violent incident in Bhangar in South 24 Parganas that occurred the previous night.
“Observers Are Going to Police Stations to Target TMC Agents”
Banerjee didn’t stop there. She claimed she had stayed awake the entire night monitoring the situation across Bengal. She alleged that outside observers were pressuring local police stations to round up TMC agents and workers.
“My party and I, as Chairperson of AITC, want the voting to be peaceful so that people can exercise their franchise. However, some observers have been brought in from different places, along with police officers who do not understand Bengal,” she said.
She added “There was one officer yesterday who caused trouble across Bengal. Observers are going to police stations to create pressure and target TMC, saying that all TMC agents should be arrested.”
She further alleged that TMC posters were being torn down in several areas something she described as part of a systematic effort to undermine her party.
Suvendu Fires Back, Calls It a Politics of Fear
BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari who is contesting against Banerjee in Bhabanipur, the chief minister’s own seat was quick to dismiss her allegations as nothing more than panic. He said Mamata was scared because her own state police had been replaced by central forces on Election Commission orders.
“Mamata Banerjee is scared, nothing else. Her police has been replaced by CAPF that is why she is scared,” Adhikari said flatly. He added that if Banerjee had any objections, she should raise them with the Election Commission directly not the media.
Adhikari who is also contesting from Nandigram, his sitting seat from the first phase was seen visiting several constituencies on Wednesday morning. He remarked that this election, unlike previous ones, had noticeably tighter security thanks to the Election Commission’s arrangements.
Bengal Votes Big 3.21 Crore Electors, 1,448 Candidates
The scale of Phase 2 is enormous. A total of 142 assembly constituencies across West Bengal are voting today nearly half of the state’s 294 seats. The total electorate stands at approximately 3.21 crore voters including 1.64 crore men, 1.57 crore women, and 792 voters identifying as third gender.
There are 1,448 candidates in the running 220 of them women. Polling is being conducted across 41,001 booths, of which 8,845 are managed entirely by women staff. By 9 am, the voter turnout had already hit 18.39 per cent. By 11 am, Purba Bardhaman led all districts at 44.50 per cent followed by Hooghly at 43.12 per cent and Nadia at 40.34 per cent.
Webcasting is running from all 41,001 polling stations for full transparency.
The Bhabanipur Battle The Election’s True Nerve Centre
The most closely-watched contest of this phase is Bhabanipur where Mamata Banerjee faces off directly against Suvendu Adhikari. After defeating Banerjee in Nandigram during the 2021 state elections, Adhikari now arrives on her home turf making this one of the most charged political duels in recent Bengal electoral memory.
The TMC holds all eleven urban Kolkata assembly seats and is confident of retaining each one. Meanwhile, tensions in Bhangar, Khanakul, and parts of North 24 Parganas remain high with clashes reported between TMC and ISF supporters over alleged fake polling agents.
Results for the West Bengal Assembly elections will come out on May 4 alongside election outcomes from Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry.
