Majhdia: Police have arrested a Trinamul Congress activist as he allegedly he along with other activists stormed inside a counting station and stamped ballot papers capturing the counting hall when they found that one of the party candidates for Sibniwas panchayat was trailing behind the opposition backed independent candidate. The incident prompted the state election commission to suspend counting of votes for one seat of the panchayat.
Accused youth identified as Saheb Ghosh, a resident of Sibniwas. Police have also arrested Trinamul candidate Partha Ghosh for his alleged role into the incident.
The miscreants snatched few bunches of already counted ballot papers voted 117 of it in favour of the independent candidate Niladri Sukul at booth number 101 and 102 and started re-stamping it using a rubber stamp so that those ballots are cancelled to ensure victory of Trinamul candidate Partha Ghosh.
The incident occurred inside Sudhir Chandra Lahiri College in Majhdia.
Independent candidate Niladri Sukul said, “They thrashed officials and kicked me out first. The invited more miscreants inside who cut off the CCTV cables and started stamping the ballots which were already counted in my favour. Their aim was to cancel my ballots by over-stamping it so that those are cancelled to ensure my defeat”.
The incident sparked tension at the outside as hundred of villagers backed by the opposition chasing the Trinamul leaders with bamboo in their hands, which eventually prompted police to flung into action dispersing the mob by resuming lathi charge.