With the polling currently underway for the second part of the assembly polls in West Bengal, violence has already hit the elections despite the heavy security deployed in the state.
A crude bomb was hurled in Bankura district by unidentified men this morning but there were no casualties and two bags carrying bombs were also found in Jamuria district.
Meanwhile, unidentified men were also seen walking about with loaded pistols in their hands.
Earlier, five people were injured after a clash broke out between the CPI (M) and the TMC workers in Jamuria, where one victim is said to be critical.
One of the CPI (M) workers, who got injured in the incident, alleged that three to four workers of the TMC thrashed them with lathis.
"They started beating us with lathis. The police did not come as we were being beaten," he said.
In another incident, a CPI (M) polling agent was hospitalised after being allegedly attacked by TMC workers at a polling booth in Chandrakona.
Meanwhile, voters were seen queuing up in long lines from the wee hours, showing their eagerness to cast their votes in the state, which is undergoing polls for its 31 constituencies in the polls.
A total of 163 candidates, including 21 women, are contesting in 31 seats of West Midnapore, Bankura and Burdwan districts.
All the seats are mainly poised for a triangular contest between the ruling Trinamul Congress, BJP and the Left-Congress combine candidates.
BJP and TMC have put up candidates on all the 31 seats. The CPI-M candidates are contesting on 19 leaving one seat each for CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc and 8 for Congress.
Congress' ten time nonagenarian MLA and former minister Gyan Singh Sohanpal and state BJP chief Dilip Kumar Ghosh are locked on Kharagpur Sadar seat while prominent CPI-M candidate Surjya Kanta Mishra and Congress leader Manas Bhunia are trying to retain Naraingarh and Sabang seats, respectively.
Pingla, Bishnupur and Asansol Uttar are also among the key constituencies in this round of polling as three members of the outgoing Mamata cabinet are locked in three-cornered fight.
In all, 350 companies of Central security forces have been deployed to ensure peaceful, free and fair voting. State Additional CEO Dibyendu Sarkar said that Central forces have been deployed at all the polling stations to ensure free and fair polling.
The local police will maintain the voters' queues outside the booths. Interstate borders along the three districts have been sealed and aerial surveillance started as parts of the constituencies, spread in Paschim Medinipur and Bankura have been categorized as very sensitive from the security angle.
Online monitoring through mobile van mounted live feeding cameras and CCTVs will be done by the Election Commission. Several model polling stations and all women poling centres have been arranged for convenience of the voters.
