South Dinajpur: The first phase of polling in West Bengal was marred by sporadic incidents of violence and attack on candidates. The Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) on Thursday alleged that its Kumarganj candidate, Subendu Sarkar, was manhandled by Trinamool Congress supporters in South Dinajpur. Sarkar was beaten up while he was going to a polling booth in the constituency after he came to know about chaos allegedly created by TMC supporters near the polling station. The saffron party candidate was, however, attacked when he was walking to the school premises where the polling booth was set up, a BJP leader said, as quoted by news agency PTI. A video of Sarkar running through a field to save himself from the mob also surfaced online. A cop could also be seen running along with him.
VIDEO | West Bengal election: BJP candidate from South Dinajpur manhandled allegedly by TMC workers even as a security person tries to protect him. #AssemblyPollsWithPTI #WestBengalPollsWithPTI
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/NeCAxYA08p— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 23, 2026
Speaking to reporters, Sarkar claimed that agents in multiple polling stations were "forcibly removed," and when he went to assess the situation on the ground at Booth No. 24, the TMC workers allegedly attacked him and his team. He further alleged that the central forces deployed at the station were not present during the attack.
"In the Kumarganj Assembly constituency, our polling agents in 8-10 polling stations were forcibly removed. I personally intervened and ensured they were allowed back inside. When I visited Booth No. 24 to inspect the situation on the ground, they launched an attack on my entire team and me; they were clearly intent on creating an atmosphere of intimidation and fear," Sarkar said as quoted by news agency ANI.
"Central Forces were present at the polling station itself—they were inside the premises. But when I arrived on the scene, I was accompanied only by my bodyguard; there was no one else with us," he further added. Hitting out at Mamata Banerjee, Sarkar said that the West Bengal CM is acting out of "fear and desperation."
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"Mamata Banerjee has lost the election, and Trinamool Congress is losing all four seats in this region. Out of sheer desperation and fear, they launched an attack on us," he asserted.
Earlier in the day, a violent clash also broke out between TMC workers and Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) founder Humayun Kabir's supporters over the crude bomb incident.
The polling for the first phase of West Bengal Assembly elections started at 7 am on Thursday. Out of the total 294 seats, voting is being held on 152 seats in the first phase. The second phase of polling is scheduled to take place on April 29. The votes will be counted on May 4, and the results will be declared on the same day.
