Threats fail to keep voters away at Kolkata doorstep

Bishnupur/Diamond Harbour: A woman going to cast her vote at Rambakhali Chowk village in Pailan—barely a few km from city’s southern suburbs—took her teen daughter along, unsure about her safety back home. Half way through, the mother-daughter duo was surrounded by armed goons. The two crawled in thick mud for 600m before reaching safety.
n A widely circulated video showed a woman from Rambakhali, on her way to a booth, being stopped by a man.She, however, stood her ground and said she would not budge without casting her vote.
n At Canning East, Saokat Molla, a Trinamool leader staged a 45-minute demonstration, claiming the ISF-BJP combine had hurled bombs and planted explosives 50m from booths.
n At Nopara Junior School in Basuldanga, Diamond Harbour, 30% polls were reportedly cast by 11am but TOI found only three to four voters outside booth. Polling officers claimed several agents had come “very late” but voting was hampered.
Polling in the 16 constituencies in South 24 Parganas was crucial for Trinamool, which is keen on holding on to the district, which has been “theirs” since 2008. But for the opposition, it was their scope to show they were a credible alternative. Abbas Siddiqui-led ISF put up a dogged resistance in the two Canning constituencies, along with Magrahat. Trinamool insiders said the party was rethinking its strategy for Bhangar for April 10 polls. BJP strived to hold on to its pockets, especially at Mandirbazar, Diamond Harbour and Falta.
The tension, however, could not deter the women from coming out in large numbers to cast their votes “We understand the importance of this poll. We should play a leading role in deciding its fate,” said Fatima Begum from Haldarhat, Diamond Harbour.
Intimidations apparently started from Monday night, with both BJP and Trinamool candidates alleging threats to their polling agents and voters in Kuleshwar, Muruiberia and Basuldanga in Diamond Harbour and Kulerdari and Panakua in Bishnupur. Firing was reported from Hedia in Basanti. By morning, almost all parties lodged complaints of intimidation. BJP candidate and two-time MLA Dipak Halder said all their agents were threatened and voters were stopped. “Central forces did little as they were under orders from the state administration,” he claimed. Halder sat in a dharna at a Dhanerberia booth after he found his agent “missing”. He later tried to block the road at Singherberia. BJP has demanded re-polling in 11 Bishnupur booths.
Trinamool claimed EVM malfunctioning and CAPF excesses, saying voters in Diamond Harbour, Bisnupur, Satgachhia, Kultali and Falta were harassed. “At Bishnupur, they allowed BJP leaders to roam freely in booths. At Falta, they threatened voters to go for BJP. We have approached the Election Commission with our complaints,” said Trinamool’s Purnendu Basu. At Raidight’s Lalpur, Trinamool accused BJP of distributing money coupons, worth Rs 1,000 each.
The CPM blamed Trinamool and BJP for largescale “silent intimidation” by Trinamool and BJP in rural pockets of Diamond Harbour.