The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate was seen giving chase in South Dinajpur amid voting for the first phase of the Bengal Assembly elections.
The first phase of voting for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections on Thursday witnessed dramatic events, including sporadic incidents of violence and attacks on candidates. Voting began in 152 assembly constituencies across 16 districts in West Bengal at 7 am on Thursday.
While the early hours remained peaceful, a scuffle broke out between TMC workers and Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AUJP) founder Humayun Kabir in Murshidabad. Humayun Kabir was visiting the area where the improvised bomb throwing incident was reported on Wednesday. Track Bengal elections April 23 live updates
Hours later, the BJP candidate was seen being chased in South Dinajpur.
The battle for Bengal is essentially a battle between the BJP and the incumbent Trinamool Congress, with the BJP trying to achieve its long-cherished goal of ousting the Mamata Banerjee-led government.
Bengal Elections | Highlights from the first phase vote
– Humayun Kabir was “attacked”: Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AUJP) founder Humayun Kabir on Thursday said he was “surprise attacked” by TMC supporters in Murshidabad after he visited Noda district over the raw bomb incident. Raw bombs were dropped late on Wednesday night in Noda district, ahead of the first phase of elections in West Bengal. “The public will give a response to TMC. Their ‘goondagiri’ will end on May 4, 2026. I was suddenly attacked. At the time my people gathered to take action, the police accused them. Additional SP Majeed Khan must be stopped. He is the real criminal and TMC Dalal [broker]Ani News Agency quoted Kabir as saying.
-Chasing the BJP candidate: Hours after the above incident, the BJP candidate from Dinajpur South – Shuvendu Sarkar – was seen being chased and manhandled by TMC workers even as a security guard tried to protect him.
– Ink on the BJP symbol: In another incident, the BJP’s lotus symbol was smeared with ink on an electronic voting machine at a booth in Raghunathpur constituency. Bishnupur MP Soumitra Khan claimed that the ink hid the symbol. The West Bengal CRPF segment later said on X that the ink had been removed and voting was taking place peacefully.
– Agnimitra Paul’s car was also allegedly attacked: The rear window of BJP leader Agnimitra Paul’s car was smashed in an alleged stone attack. “A stone was pelted at my car while we were leaving a polling station in Rahmat Nagar in Asansol. It is very clear who is behind this. This is an attempt to influence the elections. We have filed a complaint against this,” she said, according to a video posted by news agency PTI.
-Voting percentage: West Bengal recorded over 62.18 per cent votes till 1 am, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The elections that took place in 16 regions on Thursday determined the electoral fate of 1,478 candidates, including 167 women, in 152 electoral districts of the state parliament, which includes 294 members.
–A quarrel between a BJP candidate and a TMC worker: BJP candidate from Sewri, Jagannath Chattopadhyay, was seen engaging in a verbal altercation with a TMC worker, alleging that she was “intimidating” voters and that she could not be within a 100-metre radius of the polling station.
In response, she reportedly said she was only assisting a differently abled voter with the voting procedure.
