Kolkata civic polls held, Opposition alleges TMC high-handedness

The elections to Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) took place on Sunday, amid allegations raised by opposition parties of having its cadres roughed-up and "attacked" at several places by the supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress.

The elections to 144 municipal seats had 950 candidates in the fray, with over 40 lakh registered voters. An estimated 64 per cent polling was recorded till 5 pm.

Through the day of polling, the Left, the Congress, and the BJP continued to raise concerns on poll-related stand-offs in different pockets of the city. Crude bombs were hurled in two localities in north Kolkata. Three persons allegedly got injured in poll-related incidents.

Amit Malviya, BJP's co-in-charge for West Bengal, raised concerns about different poll-related issues through a series of tweets. "Meena Devi Purohit, 5 time BJP councillor and former Deputy Mayor, brutally attacked by TMC goons, her clothes torn," one of his tweets mentioned.

Suvendu Adhikari, state BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the state, too, raised questions about "dysfunctional" CCTVs in the booths. The BJP supporters protested at several spots.

The Left and Congress also raised similar allegations. The Left Front has announced state-wide agitation on Monday and Tuesday.

The Trinamool Congress, however, observed the poll process differently. "People in Bengal are celebrating the festival of Democracy with pride. Our Chairperson @MamataOfficial has always ensured free & fair elections across the state and we will continue to protect Democracy and uphold the values & principles of this nation," the Trinamool's official handle stated.

The party's official handle also quoted Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool's national general secretary, where he stated, "If it is proven that any AITC worker has been involved in incidents of violence, stern action will be taken against them within 24 hours."

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar also through his tweets highlighted the poll-related concerns. Governor Dhankhar stressed that "peaceful polls with no fear in the mind of voter and absence of interference of state appratus are at heart of any election process".

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