• Source:JND
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Bengal Election Phase 1 Violence: The voting for the first phase of the Lok Sabha Election 2024 began on Friday across three Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal. The voting process was marred by sporadic violence in Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha seats. According to a report by news agency IANS, incidents of inter-party clashes, burning down and ransacking of rival party offices and serious injuries to some party activists have been reported from Cooch Behar within three hours of the polling. Cooch Behar has so far recorded a voter turnout of 33.63 per cent.

The violence in Cooch Behar started in the Chandamari area, where tensions mounted over the assault of BJP's booth president, Lob Sarkar, who has been admitted to a nearby hospital with severe head injuries following the attack. A Trinamool Congress worker also sustained head injuries following stone pelting between TMC and BJP workers.

Incidents of violence were also reported from the Rajakhora area in Cooch Behar, which witnessed attacks and counter-attacks between the TMC and BJP activists following which the temporary camp offices of both parties were reportedly ransacked. A temporary party office the TMC was also burnt down allegedly by BJP supporters at Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar.

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Apart from Cooch Behar, violence was also reported in the Dabgram-Phulbari area of the Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha constituency, where a booth office of the BJP was reportedly set on fire allegedly by the ruling Trinamool Congress activists. Alipurduar, however, was an exception, with no report of poll-related violence in the first three hours of polling.

According to the Election Commission's Voter Turnout App, West Bengal recorded an overall voter turnout of 33.56 per cent till 11 am. The maximum polling percentage was recorded at Alipurduar at 35.20%, followed by Cooch Behar at 33.63% and Jalpaiguri at 31.94%. Although ECI has deployed as many as 112 companies of CAPF personnel in Cooch Behar, the effectiveness of their deployment is being questioned.

All three seats are reserved, with Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri for SCs and Alipurduars for STs. A total of 37 candidates, including Union minister and BJP leader Nisith Pramanik (Cooch Behar), are in the fray in the three constituencies.

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A total of 56.26 lakh people are eligible to vote in the three seats, and voting is taking place at 5,814 polling stations -- 2,043 are in Cooch Behar, 1,904 in Jalpaiguri and 1,867 in Alipurduars. The Election Commission has declared 746 polling stations as sensitive -- 391 in Jalpaiguri, 196 in Cooch Behar and 159 in Alipurduars.

A total of 112 companies of central forces and 4,500 state police personnel have been deployed in Coochbehar. A total of 2,454 state police personnel alongside 63 companies of central forces were deployed in Alipurduars, while 75 companies of central forces and 3,077 state police personnel were deployed in Jalpaiguri.