Kolkata, April 23 (IANS) Union Minister of State and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sukanta Majumdar on Thursday accused Trinamool Congress activists of attacking party candidate Subhendu Sarkar in South Dinajpur’s Kumarganj during the first phase of Assembly elections in West Bengal.

Speaking to reporters, Majumdar said, “Our candidate Subhendu Sarkar has been attacked by Trinamool’s hooligans. According to the news that I have received so far, already four people have been arrested regarding this.”

“We have urged the police to arrest everyone who was involved in the attack. After the elections, we will see how much big goons they are,” he said.

About security deployment, he said, “It was the administration’s duty to deploy central forces. The Quick Reaction Team (QRT) reached as soon as they received the news.”

“Nobody could imagine this kind of behaviour from the Trinamool Congress people towards a candidate, that too in a district which is usually considered peaceful,” the Union Minister added.

However, Majumdar appreciated the action taken by the Election Commission and the administration in handling the matter.

Moreover, he added, “We want the remaining goons to be arrested by the police.”

Separately, BJP candidate Debashish Ojha’s election agent, Bishwajit Mandal, was allegedly attacked in Birbhum’s Labpur constituency.

The developments highlight rising tensions in certain constituencies during the ongoing polling process. While authorities have deployed heavy security across the state, isolated incidents of violence and clashes between political workers continue to surface.

At the same time, unrest was also reported in Murshidabad’s Naoda Assembly constituency involving Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) founder Humayun Kabir. A confrontation broke out between Kabir and local Trinamool Congress leaders near a polling booth, with both sides accusing each other of creating disturbances.

Polling is underway across 152 Assembly constituencies in 16 districts in the first phase of the West Bengal elections. Despite a strong voter turnout in several areas, incidents like these have raised concerns over law and order during the electoral process.

–IANS

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