Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Violence Mars Early Hours of Polling in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri

The commencement of polling for three Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal on Friday was tainted by violent incidents, particularly in the Cooch Behar Lok Sabha constituency, within the first two hours. Instances of violence were also reported from the Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha constituency. However, Alipurduar was an outlier, with no reports of election-related violence during the initial hours.

As per the records of the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), the polling percentage stood at 15.09 until 9 a.m. The highest polling percentage was recorded in Alipurduar at 15.91, followed by Cooch Behar at 15.26 per cent and Jalpaiguri at 14.13.

Despite the Election Commission of India deploying as many as 112 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel in Cooch Behar, questions are being raised about the effectiveness of their deployment. Reports of inter-party clashes, destruction and looting of rival party offices, and serious injuries to some party activists have been emerging, all within the first two hours of the first phase of polling.

The majority of the violence reports have come from the Chandamari area in Cooch Behar. Tensions escalated following the assault on BJP’s booth president, Lob Sarkar, who was hospitalised with severe head injuries. A Trinamool Congress worker also sustained serious head injuries due to stone-pelting between BJP and Trinamool Congress activists.

Similar tensions were observed in the Rajakhora area and other parts of Cooch Behar. The area witnessed a series of attacks and counter-attacks between the ruling and opposition party activists, resulting in the ransacking of temporary camp offices of both the Trinamool Congress and BJP.

Reports also emerged that a temporary party office of the Trinamool Congress at Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar was allegedly burnt down by local BJP supporters.Likewise, tensions flared in the Dabgram-Phulbari area under the Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha constituency after a BJP booth office was allegedly completely destroyed by ruling Trinamool Congress activists.