Statesman News Service
MALDA/COOCH BEHAR, 30 MAY: Polling for the seven civic bodies spread over Cooch Behar, Malda and Jalpaiguri passed off peacefully today save for some stray incidents. The turnout was moderate to heavy, according to the polling officials.
The polling began as scheduled at 7 a.m. today amidst tight security for civic bodies in Cooch Behar, Dinhata, Mathabhanga and Tufangunj in Cooch Behar district, English Bazar and Old Malda in Malda district and Jalpaiguri. In Old Malda, police resorted to baton charge to disperse warring groups. Otherwise, the polling was by and large peaceful in the three districts.
The election officials in Malda recorded nearly 77 per cent voters’ turnout in English Bazaar while the percentage was pegged at nearly 86 per cent in Old Malda, the district municipal election officer, Mr Sridhar Ghosh, said today.
Police, however, resorted to lathicharge in many wards in Old Malda municipal areas as booth-jamming charges in some of the wards heighten political tension.
“As altercations were about to turn into confrontation involving the main rivals, the Congress and the CPI-M activists the police intervened in time and resorted to lathi charge to disperse the quarreling crowds,” said the Malda superintendent of police, Mr Bhuban Mandal. He further said that some persons belonging to the rival groups had been detained. “But we released them once normalcy was restored,” he added.
The CPI-M district secretary, however, lodged complaint regarding alleged police highhandedness in the form of lathichage in Old Malda. The Trinamul Congress thanked the police for peaceful polling in English Bazar. “There were some problems in wards no. 6, 9 and 12 and 24 in English Bazaar. But, on the whole, the polling was peaceful,” said the district Trinamul president, Mr Goutam Chakraborty.
The district BJP general secretary, Mr Amlan Bhaduri, also expressed satisfaction over the peaceful coduct of elections.
The Congress MLA in English Bazaar, Mr Krishnendu Choudhury, who is also a Congress candidate in ward no 10 in English Bazaar said: “The CPI-M works prevented our elections agents from entering polling stations in ward 24. A Congress candidate, Mrs Rahima Mahaldar was assaulted in ward no 19. This aside, polls were peaceful”.
Meanwhile, polling was reported peaceful for the four civic bodies spread over the district, namely Cooch Behar, Dinhata, Mathabhanga and Tufangunj. According to the district magistrate, Mrs Smaroki Mohapatra, no incident of violence has been reported from anywhere. “Polling percentage has varied from around 80 to 87 per cent. In Tofangunj and Mathabhanga the figure is 85 per cent. Dinhata recorded 83 per cent polls while the figure for Cooch Behar stands at 79 per cent. We are taking measures to ensure peace in the post poll period,” she said. According to the district administration officials, they were particularly concerned about the tension-prone Tofangunj. But nothing untoward happened there. However, a political clash occurred at ward no. 12 in Mathabhanga last night. Several persons were injured and admitted at the hospital. The blame game started with the CPI-M and the Trinamul Congress lodging complaints against one another for the incident.
Barring this incident, the poling was peaceful. The police officials attributed the incident-free elections to the foolproof security measures taken by the district administration in view of the mounting tension in many of the wards in all the four civic bodies in the district.
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