West Bengal panchayat polls: Voting underway amid violence; polling suspended at several booths

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

West Bengal, workers of the state BJP on Saturday staged a protest outside the State Election Commission office in Kolkata. Meanwhile, voting was suspended at Indreshwar primary school in Dinhata of West Bengal's Cooch Behar after water was thrown into the ballot box. In another incident, a ballot box at a polling booth in Baranachina of Dinhata in Cooch Behar district was set on fire allegedly by voters who were angry with bogus voting that was reportedly going on.

Another incident was reported from Balutola in Gopalpur Panchayat of Malda where a clash broke out between Congress and TMC workers and bombs were hurled. The polling booth at Baravita Primary School in Sitai of Coochbehar also was vandalised and ballot papers were set on fire. Several other incidents of ballot box and ballot paper looting and destruction were reported from numerous polling booths in the State.

However, the voter turnout was recorded at 22.60 per cent till 11 in the morning. Abdullah, the booth agent of an independent candidate was killed in Pirgachha of North 24 Parganas district following a protest by the villagers who demanded the arrest of the accused and alleged that the husband of TMC candidate Munna Bibi is behind the murder. Police personnel were deployed at the spot.

In the meantime, a 52-year-old TMC worker, Sateshuddin Sheikh was killed in Khargram of Murshidabad. However, the residents of Nandigram Block 1 of Purba Medinipur district said that they are boycotting the election until Central forces are deployed at booth numbers 67 and 68 in Mahammadpur No. 2 area.

A voter, Govind while speaking to ANI, said, «There is no Central force here. Booth capturing keeps happening here by TMC. They do bogus voting even in the name of the