Elections 2019: BJP's Bharati Ghosh roughed-up, party alleges TMC hand

Ghatal (West Bengal): BJP's Ghatal candidate, Bharati Ghosh, broke down after she was manhandled by a group of women at a polling booth in the constituency as voting for the sixth phase of national elections is underway.

Bharati was cornered by alleged TMC women cadres and was stopped from visiting the polling booth after she alleged that BJP's polling agent was not being allowed to sit at the station. The former cop's convoy was attacked and the vehicles were vandalised, her party has blamed TMC for the assault.

"TMC knows that BJP is winning here. That is why they are in fear and TMC workers tried to prevent and threaten Bharati," BJP state president Dilip Ghosh told media persons.

Video footage of the incident shows Bharati being jostled away by alleged TMC workers even as security personnel tried to separate them. Soon after the incident, the Election Commission sought a report from district administration over the spat at booth number 206.

Recently, the Election Commission had received a report from the district administration over the seizure of Rs 1.13 lakh cash from the BJP candidate's car who is contesting against TMC's Dipak Adhikari.

A scuffle broke out between TMC and BJP workers on Sunday at polling booth number 254 in Bankura after BJP alleged rigging by TMC workers.

Police had to interfere in order to disperse the two groups who were on the verge of clashing.

Elections in West Bengal have been marred with instances of violence, despite the presence of central security forces, with both BJP and TMC accusing each other of rigging, interfering in polling booths and threatening each other cadres.

In West Bengal, voting is being across seven phases for the 42 parliamentary constituencies. Eight seats are at stake today in the sixth round polling, with results scheduled for on May 23.

Meanwhile, BJP worker Raman Singh was found dead in Gopiballabpur area of Jhargram.

BJP also accused Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers of attacking vehicles in the convoy of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP candidate from Ghatal, Bharati Ghosh, and of obstructing her entry at a polling booth in Keshpur.

Ghosh, a former IPS officer turned politician had arrived at the booth alleging that BJP polling agents were not being allowed to sit at the booth in Keshpur. She was however surrounded and heckled by female workers of TMC who tried to prevent her from entering the booth. The attack on her convoy resulted in severe injuries to one of her security personnel.

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