Raiganj Assembly seat’s BJP candidate Manas Kumar Ghosh has accused the ruling TMC of attempting to cause disturbances in several booths during the by-election voting process. The polls, which commenced at 7 am and are set to conclude at 6 pm on Wednesday, have seen allegations from Ghosh about the TMC’s disruptive tactics.
“We want peaceful voting and everyone should have the chance to cast their vote. TMC tried to create disturbances at 2-4 booths but we opposed them and voting is going on peacefully,” Ghosh stated.
The by-election was necessitated by the resignation of Krishna Kalyani, who won the 2021 election as a BJP candidate but later joined the TMC. Kalyani is now the TMC candidate for Raiganj.
Alongside Raiganj, other constituencies involved in the by-polls include Ranaghat Dakshin, Bagda, and Maniktala. Manoj Kumar Biswas, BJP candidate for Ranaghat Dakshin, also accused the TMC of creating chaos to prevent voters from casting their ballots freely.
“Ranaghat Dakshin is traditionally a BJP stronghold. There’s significant voter enthusiasm. TMC, supported by the administration and criminal elements, is trying to create a chaotic situation to deter voters,” Biswas said, alleging that TMC was threatening voters and workers.
The by-elections in Ranaghat Dakshin, Raiganj, and Bagda were necessitated as the BJP MLAs who won these seats in 2021 switched to the TMC. The Maniktala by-election is due to the death of sitting TMC MLA Sadhan Pandey in February 2022.
For both BJP and TMC, these by-polls are crucial. TMC aims to maintain the momentum from its performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, while BJP seeks to retain its wins in Ranaghat Dakshin, Raiganj, and Bagda.
In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, TMC won 29 of the 42 seats, while BJP’s tally decreased from 18 to 12.
By-polls are also being held in Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh, covering 13 assembly constituencies in total. Voting across these states started at 7 am and will end at 6 pm.
