After the fifth phase of polling in West Bengal, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) West Bengal Ariz Aftab, said that apart from the a few stray incidents, the poll process had been peaceful.

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“Polling percentage at 5 pm had been at the seven parliamentary constituencies which went to poll, were – Bangaon 76.18, Barrackpur 71.28, Howrah 67.59, Uluberia 77.57, Sreerampur 73.31, Hooghly 76.14 and Arambag 75.73. The average poll percentage in the state for Monday till 5 pm had been 73.97,” Aftab said.

The most eventful constituency had been Barrackpore where former TMC strongman Arjun Singh who has defected to BJP has been pitched against sitting MP Dinesh Trivedi. Singh had been very active since morning visiting several booths of his constituency and while he chased away ‘outsiders’ from some booths he was attacked allegedly by TMC cadres in some as well. He got injured on his lips in one such scuffle with TMC supporters.

Some mediapersons had received injury at Howrah and Barrackpore when their vehicles were attacked.

Aftab said two presiding officers had been removed and showcaused and one presiding officer had complained that he had been assaulted by polling agents.

ADG (law and order) Siddhinath Gupta said that they had received complaints that TMC candidate Prasun Banerjee had been attacked allegedly by Central forces. “It is being looked into. In all five vehicles have been damaged including a media vehicle. There had been 42 arrests of which three had been in specific cases and 39 preventive ones,” Gupta said. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday wrote to the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Aftab seeking re-polling at the poll booths where violence broke out earlier in the day.  Earlier in the day, BJP’s Barrackpore candidate Arjun Singh had alleged that he sustained injuries after being allegedly attacked by supporters of TMC near a village in Barrackpore. 

—PTI