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Updated April 10th, 2021 at 19:13 IST

West Bengal Elections 2021 Phase 4 LIVE Updates: Polling concludes amid row over killings

Voting for 44 seats in the fourth phase of the West Bengal Elections 2021 will take place between 7 am and 6 pm on Saturday. Check all LIVE Updates of West Bengal polls 2021 here.

Reported by: Akhil Oka
Assembly elections
| Image: self
7: 13 IST, April 10th 2021

The polling for 44 seats in the fourth phase of the West Bengal polls concluded on Saturday. As per the EC, this phase saw an approximate voter turnout of 76.16%. Among the constituencies, Bhangar recorded the highest voter turnout at 85.12%.

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Taking a cue from Prashant Kishor's admission, BJP's WB co-in-charge Amit Malviya asserted that PM Modi is a famous leader and has a cult-type following. Maintaining that the politics of appeasement has caused polarization on the ground, he lamented that the Hindu community had to go to the court for allowing Durga Puja immersion processions. Moreover, he claimed that Urdu was given preference over Bengali. According to him, Kishor had accepted that there is anti-incumbency against the state government. 

 

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Addressing a massive rally, PM Modi predicted that the process of change will commence in West Bengal on May 2. The persons indulging in appeasement, extortion and insult of the people will be taught a lesson, he added. 

 

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The TMC leaders met the WB CEO in connection with the killing of 4 people in Cooch Behar. Speaking to the media thereafter, MP Saugata Roy claimed that the Central forces are doing "tandav" in the state. Claiming that the Central forces fired on unarmed people without any warning, he accused the PM of making "highly controversial" statements. He added that the Centre is trying to create panic in West Bengal. 

 

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Speaking to Republic TV, BJP's Behala Purba candidate Payel Sarkar talked about the attack that took place on her car. 

 

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Commenting on the Cooch Behar killings, Union Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel pinned the responsibility squarely on WB CM Mamata Banerjee. He accused her of continuously instigating people to indulge in violence. Moreover, he called upon the Election Commission to take strict action in this regard.

 

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Responding to the allegations levelled by TMC, the CISF on Saturday said that its Quick Reaction Team (QRT) was attacked by a mob comprising of 50-60 miscreants who were allegedly resisting the voters from reaching the polling booth. The miscreants then attacked the QRT personnel and their vehicles forcing the latter to act in self-defence and fired six rounds in the air to disperse the crowd. The mob returned after an hour yet again and assaulted the Home guard and an Asha worker and also allegeldy attempted to beat up the polling staff who were on duty. CISF said that the mob then started approaching towards the CISF personnel following which seven rounds were fired at the mob.  

Read CISF's statement below:

Today on 10/4/21, at around 0935 hrs, near Booth No 126, QRT( Quick Reaction Team) of CISF 567/C headed by Coy Commander Insp/E Sunil Kumar was attacked by a mob of miscreants about 50 to 60 in numbers while they were taking round of area along with local police representative to clear public who was resisting voters from reaching polling booths. In the melee, one child fell down and miscreants started damaging the vehicle of QRT and attacked the QRT personnel. QRT reacted in self-defence and fired six rounds in air to disperse the Mob. Shri Deepak Kumar, DC Adhoc Comdt of 567 CISF reached the spot and pacified the mob. He then left. 

After an hour, another group of mob ( approx 150)  joined in and reached the Booth No 186 and started manhandling the polling staff on duty at Booth. Firstly, they beaten up the Huard of  Home Guard  and Asha worker who were present on the duty at the booth. CISF Booth Comdr tried to pacify the miscreants but the mob entered the polling booth and further beaten up the other polling staff on duty. Few miscreants tried to snatch the weapons of CISF personnel deployed there. As a result, CISF personnel fired two rounds in the air but mob didn't pay any heed to the warning. In the meantime, QRT of CISF and police also reached at the spot. The mob further started advancing aggressively towards CISF personnel, therefore sensing imminent danger to their life,  they fired 7 more rounds towards the advancing mob of miscreants. While the above incident was going on, more police party also arrived at booth. It is reported that in self-defence they have also fired few rounds. As a result few miscreants were injured and immediately the mob dispersed. The polling was halted. More police personnel have reached the spot. It is reported that 5 to 6 miscreants have sustained fatal injuries and further they succumbed to injuries.

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50.31% voter turnout has been recorded so far until 1:19 pm as per ECI approximations in the fourth phase of polling for West Bengal Assembly elections. 

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The election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to adjourn polls in the Sitalkuchi Assembly constituency in Cooch Behar based on initial reports from poll observers. Four workers were allegedly killed I violent clashes that erupted in Sitalkuchi on Saturday as polling was underway for the 4th phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections.

"Commission hereby orders adjourning the poll in PS 125 of Sitalkurchi AC, Cooch Behar based on interim report from Special Observers. Detailed reports are sought from them and CEO by 5 pm today", EC said. 

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33.98% voter turnout has been recorded so far until 11.30 am as per ECI approximations in the fourth phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections. 

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14.59% voter turnout has been recorded so far until 9.25 am as per ECI approximations in the fourth phase of polling for the Westr Bengal Asembly elections. 

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Even as voting is underway for the fourth phase of the West bengal Assembly elections, the ruling Trinamool congress has complained to the Election Commission alleging that BJP 'goons' were not allowing TMC agents to enter polling booths and were creating ruckus 'across several booths in Sitalkuchi, Natalbari, Tufanganj & Dinhata'. TMC demanded necessary actions from EC.  

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"Today the fourth phase of voting is taking place in West Bengal. I urge all the voters of the state to vote in large numbers for 'Sonar Bangla' keeping in mind COVID-19 precautions and make this mahaparva of democracy a success', wrote BJP party president JP Nadda. 

 

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"Today is the fourth round of elections. Many thanks to all the people of Bengal for the way they have stood by the Trinamool Congress in defending democracy in the last three terms. Even today, we request to establish the constitutional rights in unison. Request everyone at this time of emergency, follow the safety rules", TMC wrote on Twitter.  

 

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Voting is underway for the fourth phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections

 

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Touted as a close battle between the incumbent TMC and BJP, the West Bengal Assembly election is being conducted in 8 phases. The voter turnout for the seats that went to the polls in the first, second and third phases was 84.63%, 86.11% and 84.61% respectively. As the polling has been increased by 1 hour, people can now cast their votes between 7 am and 6 pm. There are 373 candidates in the fray for the 44 constituencies going to the polls on Saturday.

The size of the total electorate is 1.15 crore. A total of 900 companies of Central security forces have been deployed for this phase. The polling for the remaining phases will take place on April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26 and April 29. Meanwhile, the election results will be declared on May 2. 

Seats going to the polls in the 4th phase:

Mekliganj, Mathabhanga, Coochbehar Uttar, Coochbehar Dakshin, Sitalkuchi, Sitai, Dinhata, Natabari, Tufanganj, Kumargram, Kalchini, Alipurduars, Falakata, Madarihat, Sonarpur Dakshin, Bhangar, Kasba, Jadavpur, Sonarpur Uttar, Tolljganj, Behala Purba, Behala Paschim, Maheshtala, Budge Budge, Metiaburuz, Bally, Howrah Uttar, Howrah Madhya, Shibpur, Howrah Dakshin, Sankrail, Panchla, Uluberia Purba, Domjur, Uttarpara, Sreerampur, Champdani, Singur, Chandannagar, Chunchura, Balagarh, Pandua, Saptagram and Chanditala

 

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Tollygunge: Babul Supriyo (BJP) Vs Aroop Biswas (TMC)

The biggest face-off in this phase is between Union Minister Babul Supriyo and sitting TMC minister Aroop Biswas for Tollygunge - the heart of the Bengali film industry. Falling under the Jadavpur Lok Sabha seat, the Asansol MP had staged a protest after being gheraoed by a section of students in the Jadavpur University for nearly six hours. While Supriyo has defeated TMC’s Dola Sen in both 2014 and 2019 from the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency, Tollygunge has voted for Aroop Biswas in 2011 and 2016, trouncing CPM's candidates.

Chanditala: Md. Salim (CPM) Vs Swati Khandoker (TMC)

Facing third-time re-election, sitting TMC MLA Swati Khandoker is pitted against 4-time CPM's MP Mohd. Salim and BJP debutant filmstar-turned-politician Debashis Dasgupta. With Khandoker trouncing her CPM's candidate Azim Ali Md. Sk in both 2011 and 2016, Md. Salim is set to put up a good fight as he has won two Lok Sabha elections - 2004 and 2014 and is a senior CPM politburo. With a sizeable 34.6% Muslim population in Chanditala, Salim is bound to affect TMC's votebank.

Bally: Baishali Dalmiya (BJP) Vs Dr. Rana Chatterjee (TMC)

Sitting MLA Baishali Dalmiya - former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya's daughter was expelled from TMC for "anti-party activities" after she exposed the rot within her party. Joining a host of other TMC leaders, she also joined BJP claiming many MLAs are frustrated with the party's functioning. Dalmiya who had won the 2016 elections faces TMC's  Dr. Rana Chatterjee - a pediatrician from Kolkata and  CPI (M)’s Dipshita Dhar. While Dalmiya had trounced her CPM contender in 2016, the TMC candidate Prasun Banerjee won from Howrah against BJP’s Rantidev Sengupta in 2019 Lok Sabha.

Chuchura: Locket Chatterjee (BJP) Vs Asit Mazumder (TMC)

Another TMC-BJP faceoff in Hooghly will be seen as 2-time MLA Asit Mazumdar faces BJP MP Locket Chatterjee. While Mazumdar has won the seat twice in 2011 and 2016, trouncing Naren Dey and Dr. Pranab Kumar Ghosh from All India Forward Bloc respectively, Chatterjee who had jumped ship to BJP in 2015 won the Hooghly seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Recently during phase-1 elections,  Chatterjee alleged that she sustained an eye-injury after some TMC workers allegedly threw colour at her at a Holi program in Kodalia.

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Howrah Dakshin: Falling under the Howrah district, this constituency will see a faceoff between BJP's Rantidev Sengupta and TMC's Nandita Chowdhury. Sengupta is the editor of the RSS' Bengali mouthpiece Swastika. While the senior journalist initially expressed his unwillingness to contest the election and urged BJP to select another candidate for the seat, he reversed his stance after speaking to the party leadership. In the previous election, TMC's Brajamohan Majumder beat CPI(M)'s Arindam Basu by over 16,000 votes.

Behala Purba: Considered a TMC bastion over the last decade, the seat's three main contenders are women. Sitting MLA Sovan Chatterjee's estranged wife Ratna Chatterjee is contesting on a TMC ticket for the first time. While the ex-Kolkata Mayor joined BJP in 2019, he has not been nominated by the saffron party. Instead, BJP had reposed faith in actor Payel Sarkar who made her film debut in the 2014 Bengali film Shudu Tumi. CPI(M)'s Samita Har Chowdhury is also in the poll fray. In the 2016 election, TMC had won this seat by bagging around 47% votes as against a Left-supported Independent candidate who garnered 36% of the vote share. 

Domjur: Rajib Banerjee is seeking re-election from this seat but on a BJP ticket. After sounding discontent against TMC for several months, he resigned from the state Cabinet on January 22. Resigning from the primary membership of the party on January 29, he joined BJP in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah a day later. On this occasion, the Mamata Banerjee-led party has fielded Kalyan Ghosh. In the last Assembly polls, Banerjee won by a whopping margin of 1,07,701 votes against his nearest opponent Protima Dutta who contested as an Independent. 

Shibpur: Located in the Howrah district, this constituency was represented by 84-year-old Jatu Lahiri of TMC from 1991 onwards barring for the period between 2006 and 2011. This time, the ruling party has reposed faith in cricketer Manoj Tiwary who joined TMC on February 24. Attributing his move to the negligible possibility of making a comeback to the national team, he said that it was an easy decision to take owing to his belief in secularism. On the other hand, BJP and AIFB have fielded Rathin Chakrabarty and Jagannath Bhattacharyya.

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Published April 10th, 2021 at 00:05 IST

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