Kolkata, 06 October (H.S.) : High voter turnout marked the assembly by-elections in West Bengal’s high-profile Nandigram and Rejinagar constituencies on Tuesday, even as polling was marred by political acrimony, administrative intervention, and the high-profile arrest of a sitting legislator. According to Election Commission figures, voter turnout reached 79.39 percent in Nandigram and 78.42 percent in Rejinagar by the close of polling.

Despite heavy security arrangements, tensions escalated sharply in Rejinagar in Murshidabad district, where the police arrested Aam Janatha Unnayan Party chief and sitting Nowda legislator Humayun Kabir. Kabir was taken into custody following an altercation with police personnel at his party office. Prior to his arrest, Kabir had accused the state police of acting under the direction of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and intimidating voters, allegedly urging locals to resist police actions with wooden clubs. Murshidabad Superintendent of Police Sachin Makkar stated that Kabir was neither a contesting candidate nor an authorized polling agent and had violated restrictions by moving around polling premises. Following the incident, Congress candidate Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi staged a sit-in demonstration outside the Rejinagar police station, alleging widespread electoral irregularities and demanding a fresh poll.

Concurrently, Nandigram in Purba Medinipur witnessed sharp exchanges and opposition complaints. Congress nominee Milan Pradhan, backed by the Trinamool Congress faction led by Mamata Banerjee, alleged that opposition polling agents were forcibly kept out of polling stations and claimed police carried out a baton charge against voters in Chakraberia. Opposition parties, including the CPI(M), alleged that their agents were barred from entering several booths in Dadpur and that some voters were turned away after having ink applied to their fingers. Violence was also reported from Sarberia, where an election agent representing the Communist Party of India was assaulted and hospitalized. Additionally, local police detained the Nandigram-1 Block Congress president over allegations of creating disturbances.

Dismissing the opposition's claims, Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Hasirani Rath maintained that voting proceeded peacefully and described the allegations as politically motivated. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who exercised his franchise at Nandanayakbar earlier in the day, defended the police action against Kabir, stating that the law applies equally to all public representatives and citizens alike.

The by-elections were necessitated after both seats were vacated following the general assembly elections. Chief Minister Adhikari, who won from both Bhabanipur and Nandigram, chose to retain Bhabanipur, leading to the bypoll in Nandigram. The BJP nominated Hasirani Rath, the mother of Adhikari's former aide Chandranath Rath, who was killed shortly after the assembly elections. In Rejinagar, Humayun Kabir vacated the seat to retain Nowda, fielding his son, Golam Nabi Azad, in a multi-cornered contest involving the BJP, rival TMC factions, the Congress, and the Left Front.

To ensure order across the sensitive electorates, the Election Commission deployed 71 companies of central armed police forces alongside comprehensive live webcasting across all 638 polling stations in both constituencies. The counting of votes is scheduled to take place on October 9.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh