Bengal Lok Sabha Polls 2024: At least five Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers were injured after bombs were hurled at them allegedly by Indian Secular Front (ISF) supporters in Bhangar, which falls under the Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal, police said on Friday. The allegations were, however, dismissed by Bhangore's ISF MLA Nawsad Siddique. The lawmaker claimed that the TMC workers hurled bombs at ISF supporters but their own party men were injured in the ensuing blasts.
"Fearing defeat in Bhangore, TMC is orchestrating such incidents on purpose and putting the blame on us. Yesterday, supporters of Saokat Molla hurled bombs at ISF workers but their own party men were injured in the incident," Siddique was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. The incident came ahead of the polling scheduled to take place in Jadavpur for the ongoing Lok Sabha election in the seventh and final phase on Saturday (June 1).
The incident reportedly took place when the TMC members were on their way home on Thursday night. The injured members of the TMC, which is in power in West Bengal, were admitted to a governmnet-run hospital in Kolkata, PTI said in its report. Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC) has ordered the movement of Saokat Molla, the TMC legislator from the Bhangar-adjacent Canning-Purba Assembly constituency on the polling day.
As per EC's order, Molla, who has a substantial organisational influence in Bhangar as well, has been barred from stepping out of his constituency of Canning-Purba throughout Saturday. Polling will be held in a total of nine parliamentary constituencies across West Bengal in the last phase.
(With inputs from agencies)