As the Lok Sabha polls kick-started for three out of West Bengal’s 42 seats, accounts of disruption between the reigning Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swiftly emerged. A scuffle near Cooch Behar town’s Chandmari area between personnel and supporters of these fierce competitors resulted in at least one injury. There were also instances of stone-pelting.

TMC local representative, Anant Barman, required hospitalization following a supposed crude bomb attack at Bhetaguri. State minister Udayan Guha was quick to visit him. It’s noteworthy that during the 2019 Lok Sabha election, BJP secured victories in all three contested seats – Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, and Jalpaiguri. By 9 am, the voter turnout was 15.2% in Cooch Behar, 15.91% in Alipurduar, and 14.13% in Jalpaiguri.

Both TMC and BJP have traded accusations of voter intimidation, hindrance in reaching polling stations, and assaults on booth agents. Temporary election offices in Toofanganj of Cooch Behar and Dabgram-Fulbari in Jalpaiguri were supposedly targeted by arsonists. The majority of complaints concerning electoral violence and voter intimidation were centered around Cooch Behar, as per an official from the West Bengal governor’s office.

Tragically, five individuals, including a first-time voter, lost their lives amidst the assembly elections in Cooch Behar in April 2021. Clashes between supporters of Union minister Nisith Pramanik and state minister Udayan Guha have also been reported from the area.

BJP has instituted a helpline for complaints in its Kolkata office concerning election-related violence. Meanwhile, TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has been closely observing the voting process from Kolkata.