Violence in West Bengal in the seventh phase, angry mob looted EVM and threw it in the pond; Dispute also took place in Sandeshkhali
The violence in West Bengal during the seventh and final phase of voting on Saturday in the Lok Sabha Election 2024 which has been almost peaceful so far has tainted the entire election. During this time, there have also been incidents of EVM looting along with assault in West Bengal. However, the Election Commission has described this incident as before the start of voting.
The entire Lok Sabha election, which had been largely peaceful up until this point, was tarnished by the violence that broke out in West Bengal on Saturday during the seventh and final round of voting. Along with attacks in West Bengal, there have also been instances of EVM looting during this time. The Election Commission, however, has stated that this incident occurred prior to the commencement of voting.
In the meantime, 59 percent of the votes cast in the final phase were in 57 seats spread across eight states and union territories. West Bengal has received the highest percentage of votes—69.89 percent—during this period. Less than the previous six phases, that is. Bihar has had the lowest voting rate, 49.35 percent. The results will now be available on June 4. With this, about 65 percent of voting has taken place in all seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections. That is less than 2019. In 2019, 67.4 percent of voting took place.
According to the Election Commission, in the seventh and final phase, 66.91 percent of voting took place in Himachal Pradesh, 55.55 percent in Uttar Pradesh, 55.58 percent in Punjab, 62.76 percent in Odisha, 68.32 percent in Jharkhand 62.80 percent in Chandigarh. The voting percentage has been more or less the same in the elections before this Lok Sabha election.
The prominent faces who are in the fray in this final phase of elections include Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as Union Ministers Anurag Singh Thakur, Mahendra Nath Pandey, Ramkripal Yadav, Anupriya Patel, Kangana Ranaut, Misa Bharti and Abhishek Banerjee. Along with the Lok Sabha elections, the assembly elections of Odisha also ended. Where voting was held along with the Lok Sabha in the last phase.
According to the Election Commission, incidents of violence have been seen in South 24 Parganas, Sandeshkhali of West Bengal. During this, after the violence in South 24 Parganas, the angry mob looted the EVM and later threw it in the pond after the police chased them. However, according to the commission, this was a reserve EVM. Also, this incident happened before the voting started. In such a situation, the voting was later completed peacefully.
