TMC workers attacked, BJP stand vandalized; Bengal votes amid second phase of violence – Top most important developments

New Delhi: The second phase of high-stakes assembly elections in West Bengal kicked off with violence and accusations of voter intimidation and technical glitches.Violence and vandalism were reported in several districts of West Bengal, including Chhapra, Shantipur, Nimtala and Bangal, in the early stages of voting, the West Bengal police said.‘The observers acted on the instructions of the BJP’West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited various stalls in Bhabanipur constituency where she is locked in a popularity battle with Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari in what is seen as a symbolic rematch with Nandigram, where he defeated her in 2021.Speaking to reporters, Mamata claimed that “several observers are from outside and are acting on the instructions of the BJP.”“People should vote. Can voting be done like this?” she asked.She also claimed that all their party flags had been removed in advance and that some outsiders acted arbitrarily.“They were not allowing the ward 70 MP to step out. They were picking up all our boys. Abhishek and I were up all night,” Mamata said.BJP agents attackedThe BJP has accused “miscreants associated with the ruling TMC” of an attack on a polling station worker in Chhapra, Nadia district. A senior police officer said the man, Mosharef Mir, had been taken to a local hospital.Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Sarkat Sarkar said the incident took place after the mock polls began.“TMC supporters obstructed the BJP agent and hit him on the head, causing him injuries,” Sarkar said.A complaint was lodged with the local police station but the TMC denied the allegations.The injured person said that 15 to 16 TMC supporters, one of whom was allegedly armed with a gun, attacked him. He said he was attacked with sticks and then fell to the ground.BJP camp office vandalizedMeanwhile, in Shantipur, the BJP camp office in Sector 16 was found vandalized, triggering tension in the area, police said.In Bangal in South 24 Parganas district, there were allegations that an ISF operative was prevented from entering a polling station, triggering riots.ISF leader Arabul Islam claimed, “The proxies’ forms were snatched away and thrown away. Women were not allowed to vote. We arranged proxies so that everyone could vote.”Polling at Nimtala polling station No. 140 was postponed and voting had not started by 7:30 am, leading to tension among voters.“We have sought reports from the relevant officials posted in these areas. They have been asked to ensure that voting is free and fair and everyone can participate without intimidation,” an official from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said.Meanwhile, the police issued a warning to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s brother Kartik Banerjee and TMC workers who gathered near the polling station that no more than four people should gather at the same place, officials said.