A thundering 89.93% turnout by 5 pm tells one story; bombs, broken EVMs, and assaulted candidates tell another
West Bengal delivered a politically charged first phase on Thursday, with an emphatic 89.93% voter turnout recorded across 152 constituencies by 5 pm but democracy here has never come quietly.
The day opened with crude bombs hurled in Murshidabad’s Nowda, injuring several people. Clashes between TMC and AUJP workers erupted after party founder Humayun Kabir visited booths, triggering stone-pelting and vehicle vandalism. By evening, fresh clashes had broken out in Purulia’s Budhpur village over alleged EVM tampering.
Violence was not confined to one side. BJP’s South Dinajpur candidate Suvendu Sarkar was manhandled by alleged TMC workers while travelling to a polling booth, his vehicle vandalised in full view of security personnel. Congress’s Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury flagged repeated EVM malfunctions, with one booth reportedly replacing machines four times.
Amid the noise, 3.6 crore voters exercised their franchise. West Midnapore recorded the highest turnout, Malda the lowest. PM Modi took a dig at TMC with his now-viral jhalmuri remark. Home Minister Amit Shah visited BJP’s Kolkata office mid-poll.
Phase 2 votes on April 29. Results on May 4.
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