The polling passed off peacefully today at Sagardighi Assembly constituency in Murshidabad district.

Though sporadic incidents of minor violence were reported from different parts of the constituency, security personnel, both central forces and the state police, ensured a peaceful election, prompting high voter turnout. Officials informed that the average polling percentage was around 70 by the time the polling came close to the end this afternoon.

Recent death of the sitting MLA from Sagardighi, Subrata Saha of Trinamul Congress caused the by-election that was held today amidst blame game involving major political parties like TMC, BJP, Congress etc.

The TMC contestant, Debashis Bandopadhyay alleged that the central forces beat up TMC supporters at Booth 73. The central forces’ attack on the TMC loyalists was unprovoked. It was alleged that the TMC supporters picked up a quarrel with the state police personnel also at premises of Booth 54. The Opposition party leaders, however, maintained that the TMC mobilized an unruly crowd which was fairly dislodged by the police.

The credit goes to Sagrdighi voters, who exercised their franchise braving all odds and challenges put up by the rowdy electioneers of TMC, said state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury.

The by-election is going to be a game changer because the Congress contestant, Bayron Biswas, backed by the Left Front is in for a huge victory, observed Chowdhury, the Berhampore MP, who is also the leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha.

The TMC leaders today alleged that the central forces prevented fair movement of their candidate, Debashis Bandopadhyay while the Congress contestant, Bayron Biswas was allowed to move freely with party workers and supporters in polling booths. The BJP candidate, Dilip Saha raised allegations of bias against the police personnel on duty.

He alleged that three BJP agents were arrested and several BJP agents were forced to leave the polling booths. The BJP agents were arrested to make sure that the TMC can resort to rigging, Saha said. He also alleged that in many booths, mock-polls were conducted in absence of polling agents.

Unhappy with central forces, the TMC candidate complained of highhandedness of central forces at women-only polling Booth 70, where, the TMC candidate alleged, an excessive number of security forces was deployed.

The TMC leaders also alleged that the political outfits like the Congress, CPM and BJP forged an anti-TMC grand alliance that was purely unethical. The Election Commission arranged for cent percent coverage of CCTV for today’s bypoll, it was learnt.

This election is going to lend a new lease of life to the Congress, remarked Bayron Biswas, the Congress contestant. “The TMC used women, police, administration and musclemen against us to win this election but TMC’s terror tactics will be defeated,” Biswas said