LOK SABHA ELECTION

Forward Bloc, Trinamul Congress, GCDP hope victory in Cooch Behar

COOCH BEHAR, April 30: Observing the polling patter the Left Front supported Forward Bloc candidate Mr Nripendra Nath Roy hoped that he will be able to retain the Cooch Behar (SC) seat by a margin of about 1.5-lakh to 1.65-lakh votes. "This seat was of the Forward Bloc for many years and this time too it will be of our party", he said. District Forward Bloc secretary Mr Udayan Guha too believes that Mr Roy is going to represent Cooch Behar in the Lok Sabha.

District Trinamul Congress general secretary Mr Partha Nath Sarkar said the people are in favour of a change and it is going to happen here. In the last three-tier panchayat elections the Trinamul Congress pulled down the CPI-M from the power at two Panchayat Samitis – Tufanganj-I and Tufanganj-II. "Our candidates won at many gram panchayat seats and the Lok Sabha seat is also going to come to our party", he said.

District Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabi Ghosh said their candidate, Mr Arghya Roy Pradhan is the son the former Lok Sabha member Mr Amar Roy Pradhan who won eight times consecutively from Cooch Behar. He is already familiar with Parliamentary politics and he may represent the people of Cooch Behar efficiently in the Lok Sabha, Mr Ghosh hoped.

District BJP secretary Mr Nikhil Ranjan Dey said there are enough reasons to believe about victory of their candidate Mr Bhabendra Nath Barman. The BJP accumulated considerable organisational strength in this district and this time it is fighting alone because the Trinamul Congress broke the alliance with it. In the changing political scenario the BJP candidate may win in this seat, Mr Dey hoped.

The 70-year-old mother of the candidate of the Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party, Mrs Jayamati Barman offered a special puja at her Jarabari residence praying success of her son, Mr Bangshi Badan Barman. Later, she went to the local polling booth to cast her vote. Mr Barman is in the jail since his surrender on 25 May 2006. Seven cases are running against him at different courts.

Expressing pleasure over the peaceful polling the GCDP president Mr Ashutosh Barma said if no tricky device was practiced their candidate has every chance to win. "At many booths in Sitai, the Left Front supporters tried to attack our men but timely intervention of the police prevented any trouble", he said. "We are now waiting for the result", the GCDP leader added in a cheerful mood. 

Almost peaceful poll in Cooch Behar, clash at Panisala

COOCH BEHAR, April 30: Polling was held in Cooch Behar Parliamentary (SC) constituency for 13,29,035 voters (including 1,054 service electors). There were 2,097 polling booths in this district. 11 percent polling was reported till 9 a.m. It was 26 percent at 11 a.m. At 1 p.m. the polling percentage reached to 42 percent.

Though the weather was hot it was cloudy and pleasant to some extent. The voters had to wait in long queues at the booths at the beginning but as the day grew older the crowd at the booths started evaporating.

A clash occurred between CPI-M and Trinamul Congress supporters over spelling mistake of names in voters' list at Panigram of Panisala. Three persons were wounded and shifted to hospital. Polling was suspended for about two hours due to the incident. Later, a large contingent of police rushed to the spot and the situation came under control.

Complaints started pouring in from a number of polling booths over malfunctioning of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) since the beginning. These booths were in Cooch Behar town, Sitalkuchi, Mathabhanga, Natabari and Dakshin Rampur. Polling was differed to about half-an-hour to one hour in these booths till making of the EVMs operational again.

District BJP secretary Mr Nikhil Ranjan Dey alleged that at Dewanhat the CPI-M and the Forward Bloc activists carried voters to the booths by vehicles fitted with party flags. They lodged a complaint to the concerned sector officer, he said.

In Dinhata, district Forward Bloc secretary Mr Udayan Guha alleged that the Central forces harassed the voters who turned up to cast their votes at Burirhat and other booths. They conveyed their complaint to the Election Commission, Mr Guha said.

In a complaint to the district magistrate, a CPI-M leader and an ex-minister Mr Dinesh Dakua said that at a number of booths in Mathabhanga town and adjoining areas the EVMs were found with black inks covering the symbol of the FB candidate (lion). Later, the ink spots of the EVMs have been cleaned, CPI-M sources said.