DMK, BJP workers clash near polling station in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: DMK and BJP workers clashed near a polling station in Gandhimanagar in Coimbatore on Thursday.The clash began after DMK workers stopped BJP district president Ramesh Kumar and argued with him.Sources said Kumar was visiting polling stations across the city in an Election Commission-authorized vehicle to monitor voting. When he reached the govt school polling station in Gandhimanagar, police allowed his vehicle into the restricted area. A group of more than ten DMK members, led by a man identified as Manikandan, stopped Kumar’s vehicle and questioned why he had been allowed to enter.The situation worsened when BJP leaders raised concerns about the police presence at the spot. Kumar alleged that a hotel near the polling station was open and that DMK workers were consuming alcohol in public view. BJP workers said they had detained some DMK members and handed them over to police. But police had allowed them to escape, they alleged.BJP members alleged that DMK functionaries had been distributing gift tokens until Thursday afternoon. When BJP workers questioned this, DMK members abused them, stopped their vehicles and picked a fight, they alleged.