By-elections 2022 Live: Polling officials collect EVMs and other voting material, before leaving for their respective polling stations on the eve of the Ballygunge Assembly by-polls in Kolkata. (PTI)Bypolls 2022 Elections Live: Violence broke out in Asansol, where voting is underway. BJP’s candidate Agnimitra Paul alleged that people from the Trinamool Congress hurled stones at her convoy, while the police took no action, according to ANI.
Polling began at 7 am on Tuesday for the by-election to the Asansol Lok Sabha seat, necessitated after Babul Supriyo resigned as the MP after switching over to the TMC from the BJP. The TMC has fielded yesteryear actor Shatrughan Sinha from the constituency, who will face BJP’s Asansol Dakshin MLA Agnimitra Paul in the polls. Ballygunge assembly segment is also voting amid tight security arrangements. Altogether 680 of the total 2,012 booths in Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman district, and all the 300 booths in Ballygunge in south Kolkata have been identified as “sensitive”.
Meanwhile, bypolls to the Bochahan assembly seat in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur also commenced. A total of 2.90 lakh voters will decide the fates of 13 candidates, three of them women, in the by-election. Altogether 1.53 lakh men, 1.47 lakh women and four voters of the third gender will exercise their franchise at 350 polling centres, which are being manned by 1,500 security personnel. Voting is also underway in the Khairagarh Assembly seat in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra’s Kolhapur constituency.
Polling officers carrying Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), leave for their respective polling stations on the eve of the by-election of Bochaha assembly constituency in Muzaffarpur district. (PTI)
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said his party should not be blamed for the violence alleged by BJP's Agnimitra Paul in Asansol. "Police is working under the Election Commission now. Why will the TMC be held responsible?" he asked.
As per figures provided by the Chief Election Commissioner, Bihar, the voter turnout in the Bochahan Assembly bypolls was 24.7 per cent till 11 am.
BJP candidate from Asansol said cars carrying media persons blocked by the police in Barabani for over an hour before being allowed to go.
"They are not allowing our polling agents to sit in booths. TMC goons ransacked my car. Now they have blocked cars of media persons," said Paul said.
Polling booths in the Khairagarh Assembly constituency provided facilities like selfie zones for voters and facilities like wheelchairs for elderly and disabled voters.
Speaking on the violence witnessed in Asansol on polling day, BJP candidate Agnamitra Paul said Trinamool Congress workers thrashed her security with bamboo sticks.
"No matter how hard Mamata Banerjee tries, BJP is winning here," she was quoted as saying by ANI.
She also hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's comment pertaining to the Nadia rape and murder victim. "I'm ashamed that being a woman and CM of the state, Mamata Banerjee made shameful comments that it has to be seen if the rape victim had a love affair or that she was pregnant," Paul said.
Trinamool Congress Babul Supriyo alleged that BJP candidate Keya Gosh entered some polling booths on Monday night.
He told ANI, "We approached the EC regarding that. I've been in touch with people on the ground. I suspect the CPM and BJP will hurl allegations that I'm trying to influence the voters."
Violence broke out in Asansol, where voting is underway. BJP's candidate Agnimitra Paul alleged that people from the Trinamool Congress hurled stones at her convoy, while the police took no action, according to ANI.
While eight candidates are in the fray for the Asansol Lok Sabha bypoll, the main fight TMC and the BJP. The TMC has fielded Shatrughan Sinha against Paul.
In the bypoll to the North Kolhapur assembly constituency in Maharashtra, 15 candidates are in the fray, with the main fight is likely to be between the Congress, one of the constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state, and the opposition BJP.
The bypoll has been necessitated following the death of sitting Congress MLA Chandrakant Jadhav due to COVID-19 in December 2021. Jayashree Jadhav, the wife of the late MLA, is the Congress candidate, while the BJP has fielded Satyajit Kadam.
According to the district administration, over 2.90 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise for which 357 polling stations have been set up. Counting of votes will be taken up on April 16.
The by-elections were necessitated as Babul Supriyo resigned as the MP of Asansol after switching over to the TMC from the BJP, while state minister Subrata Mukherjee, who represented Ballygunge, died last year.
The TMC has fielded yesteryear actor Shatrughan Sinha in Asansol, which has a substantial Hindi-speaking population. The BJP has nominated Asansol Dakshin MLA Agnimitra Paul.
Mamata Banerjee's party has fielded Supriyo in Ballygunge where he is pitted against BJP's Keya Ghosh and CPI(M)'s Saira Shah Halim. The Congress is also in the fray in both the seats. (PTI)
Polling began at 7 am on Tuesday for the by-election to the Asansol Lok Sabha seat and Ballygunge assembly segment in West Bengal amid tight security arrangements.
Altogether 680 of the total 2,012 booths in Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman district, and all the 300 booths in Ballygunge in south Kolkata have been identified as "sensitive".
Around 15 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in Asansol. There are around 2.5 lakh voters in Ballygunge. A total of 133 companies of central forces have been deployed in the two constituencies - 70 in Ballygunge and the remaining in Asansol.