Kolkata: The number of complaints received by the office of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) from the ruling Trinamool Congress in the first two hours of voting in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls was more than the complaints from Opposition parties.
The picture is quite opposite to what it was in the first four phases when the complaints from the Opposition parties like the Congress, BJP or CPI(M) far exceeded those from the ruling party. Sources in the office of the CEO said that till 9 AM as many as 471 complaints were registered with them by political parties and individuals.
The maximum, i.e. 30 complaints were received from the Trinamool Congress followed by the CPI(M) at 25 and BJP at 22. Trinamool Congress candidates have been accusing the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel deployed for the polls of excesses. The CAPF personnel recovered crude bombs from near an election booth at Parsura under Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency.
The Trinamool Congress accused the local BJP workers of stocking the bombs to create tension in the area. The police have arrested a local BJP activist Surajit Patra in this connection. Reports of clashes between Trinamool Congress and BJP supporters have also surfaced from Gayeshpur under the Bangaon Lok Sabha constituency.
Meanwhile, till the time of filing of this report, voting had completely stopped at a polling centre at Liluah under Howrah Lok Sabha after the Presiding Officer there was allegedly heckled and slapped by Trinamool Congress activists. The matter has been brought to the notice of the CEO’s office and efforts are on to resume the polling process there.
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