West Bengal Records 41.11% Voter Turnout Marred by Election Clashes in Murshidabad

West Bengal sees a high 41.11% turnout by 11 AM despite EVM glitches and security forces intervening in local clashes during the first phase of polling.

The Election Commission of India reported that West Bengal achieved 41.11% voter turnout by 11AM during its initial voting phase. The polling booths opened at 7AM and voting has continued without problems in most constituencies until now. Following a bomb blast and resulting election clashes in Murshidabad district, Aam Janata Unnayan Party’s (AUJP) Humayun Kabir visited the site. The situation resulted in TMC workers clashing with police officers. Paramilitary security forces were sent to the area because both parties' workers were soon involved in a fight and they wanted to stop any further conflicts from turning into large-scale election violence in Bengal. The police used a mild lathi charge to break up part of the crowd while asserting that they had complete control over the situation.

Furthermore, the voting process at several polling booths experienced brief disruptions because EVM glitches happened at specific times. This follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call for women and youth to vote in large numbers and make their voice heard. 152 constituencies across 16 districts are covered in the first phase of the West Bengal election, with 3.22 crore eligible voters who can vote till 6PM. Meanwhile, Suvendu Adhikari, the BJP candidate from Nandigram and Bhabanipur, had declared that Mamata Banerjee’s victory would be impossible if fake and deceased voters were removed from the rolls.

Moreover, the first phase of elections was preceded by a hectic 48 hours of campaigning by both the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP that took out rallies and attacked each other. The central point of debate in this election has been the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state, which is said to have deleted over 60 lakh to 90 lakh names while reducing the voter base from 7.66 crore to 7.04 crore. According to CIO Bulletin, it is necessary to track these developments closely to determine the voter sentiment, provided elections conclude peacefully without untoward incidents.