Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee flashes victory sign after casting her vote in the Kolkata municipal election on Saturday. (Press Trust of India)
Elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation - billed by many as the semi-final ahead of the assembly elections in West Bengal next year - ended today amid reports of sporadic violence, which the Opposition claimed were carried out by Trinamool Congress.
"At 3 pm, the scheduled close of voting, 59.20 per cent polling was registered. The percentage may slightly go up with some of them still in the queues," a West Bengal State Election Commission official said.
A CPM leader was allegedly shot at and bombs hurled in at least half a dozen places across the city. The Opposition claimed widespread rigging but Trinamool said given the performance of the party-run civic body in the last five years, a clear majority was certain.
144 seats were contested today and more municipal elections are due across the state next week.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee voted just before the close of polls, and offered a victory sign to waiting journalists. Before the closing of polls, a confident Trinamool said they will return to rule the Kolkata Corporation once again. "5 years of hard work. We are very confident that the people of Kolkata will bless us abundantly," said Derek O'Brien, Trinamool's Lok Sabha MP.
In one of the incidents of violence, a BJP worker was dragged out of a polling booth in Barabazar allegedly by rival Trinamool, after claims that candidates were trying to influence voters inside a poll booth.
"The TMC has got many outsiders and they are being sent to vote without ration card or election card. They are doing false voting," said the BJP candidate Mina Devi.
The CPM was the unhappiest of the Opposition lot, claiming that its poll agents were evicted from booths if they dared to enter. CPM leader Fuad Halim claimed he had three bullets fired at him. "I am lucky to have escaped with my life, what is unfortunate is I have had to witness the murder of democracy in Kolkata today," said Mr Halim.
The state Election Commissioner has accepted there are too many complaints, but so far it's not clear what redressal is on offer.