The ruling Trinamool Congress accused the BJP of distributing money in West Bengal’s Barasat, which goes to polls in the seventh and the last phase of the Lok Sabha election, as the opposition party denied the allegation.

According to news agency ANI, TMC candidate from Barasat Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar on Monday informed the local police accusing the BJP of handing out money. Police raided the home of a Bharatiya Janata Party worker in Barasat after the TMC leader’s complaint.

“They are distributing money. The BJP is doing this,” Ghosh Dastidar, the sitting member of Parliament from Barasat, was quoted as saying by ANI.

The BJP, on its part, charged the Trinamool of attacking the cars parked outside the venue of a meeting being held by its leader Arvind Menon in Barasat.

“The BJP’s Arvind Menon was holding a meeting with a few leaders in Barasat. Few people led by Kakoli came there and attacked the cars parked outside. There is no democracy in this state,” party leader Mukul Roy said according to ANI.

The Trinamool and BJP are locked in a bitter fight in West Bengal this time, with the BJP setting a minimum target of 22-23 seats, and TMC chief and chief minister Mamata Banerjee vowing to win all 42 in the state.

Sporadic violence has been reported since the beginning of this general election in West Bengal where the BJP and the TMC have accused each other of political murders and attacks.

Eight constituencies in the western part of the state voted on Sunday in a phase where the BJP says it has the best chance to wrest seats from the ruling party, which holds all of them in area.

Nine parliamentary constituencies — Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Joynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin, Kolkata Uttar — will vote on May 19.

The votes will be counted on May 23.

First Published: May 14, 2019 11:36 IST