Nandigram: Nandigram the ‘Kurukshetra’ of Bengal, incidents of violence were seen soon after the polling started at seven in the morning.
Despite the deployment of 22 companies of central forces in Nandigram, the locals cried foul stating that the central forces are not taking any steps and they are denied to cast their vote.
Booth seven of Boyal 2 block turned into a battlefield as cadres of both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) claimed that they were not allowed to cast their votes.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Nandigram TMC candidate Mamata Banerjee reached the spot. On reaching the spot, slogans and counter slogans between the two parties started and despite several requests by the TMC supremo for maintaining law and order, the supporters continued crying foul against each other.
RAF and special observer Nandigram Nagendranath Tripathi reached the spot and assured the Chief Minister all help to maintain law and order.
“If you fail to maintain law and order then I will complain against the police to the Election Commission. How can so many people assemble within 100 metres of the booth? Where is the security then and what will happen if the voters cannot vote? Keep five people of both the parties and ask the rest to leave,” claimed Mamata before leaving the polling booth after almost two hours.
Intense sloganeering could be heard as Banerjee sat inside the booth, with loud iterations of BJP's 'Jai Shree Ram'.
Reacting to the slogans against her, Banerjee said: "None of the people are speaking in the Bengali language. All of them are outsiders. They are goons sent from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and they are being protected by Central forces."
Talking to the media while sitting inside the booth, Banerjee said that she had complained 63 times to the State Election Commission about the growing violence in the state but according to her no action has been taken.
As the situation turned chaotic outside the booth, the Chief Minister seemed visibly angry.
Notably, while sitting inside the polling booth Banerjee also spoke with West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and complained about the violence in Nandigram.
Soon after talking with the TMC supremo Dhankhar took to social media and assured proper action on the incident.
"Issues flagged @MamataOfficial a while ago on phone have been imparted to the concerned. There is full assurance of the concerned to adherence to rule of law. Am confident all will act in right spirit and earnestness so that democracy flourishes," the Governor said.
Rubbishing the TMC supremo’s claim that 30 percent of the poll was done due to booth rigging by the BJP, a local voter said that her claims are false as there is a TMC poll agent inside the polling booth.
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’ Brien alleged that the BJP is playing ‘mind games’.
“Trinamool Congress booth agents are standing rock solid in all 354 booths in Nandigram. We have registered complaints for 10 booths. All attempts by CRPF to intimidate voters are not working as people are determined to have Mamata Banerjee as their MLA. The TMC will form the government for the third time with Mamata Banerjee as the Chief Minister,” claimed Derek.
