Voting for by-elections to Bhabanipur Assembly seat has begun from 7 am amid tight security and necessary arrangements to conduct the polls. In Bhabanipur, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also contesting. Apart from Bhabanipur, voting also began in Jangipur and Samserganj constituencies in Murshidabad district. BJP candidate for Bhabanipur, Priyanka Tibrewal alleged that Trinamool Congress (TMC) was purposely shutting voting machines at a polling booth of ward number 72 and was an attempt at capturing the booth.
Tiberwal reached the polling booth to inspect the situation. Speaking to media persons here, Tibrewal said, “TMC’s Madan Mitra has purposely shut the voting machine here as he wants to capture the booth.”TMC leaders Jakir Hossain and Amirul Islam are party candidates from Jangipur and Samserganj seats, respectively.
For the unversed, Bhabanipur is West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s home constituency. The TMO supremo spent her childhood daus there. The TMC is confident that a victory for Mamata Banerjee is certain in the constituency.
Meanwhile, to maintain the security, as many as 72 companies of central forces have been deployed in the three constituencies, of which 35 are stationed in Bhabanipur alone, officials said. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC have also been imposed within 200 metres of the polling centres.
The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC registered a landslide victory in polls winning 213 seats in the 294-member West Bengal assembly. The BJP lost the polls but emerged as the second-largest party with 77 seats.
