On May 22, a female BJP karyakarta was found murdered in the Sonachura area of Nandigram district in West Bengal. The victim, Rathibala Ari, was one of several BJP workers who Trinamool Congress (TMC) members reportedly attacked. This resulted in large-scale protests on May 23 in the region that will be voting on May 25.
Organiser E Exit poll Lok Sabha Elections 2024
The incident occurred two days before the sixth phase of polling for the Lok Sabha election on May 25. Reports indicate that TMC workers attacked BJP workers with sharp weapons while they were guarding the polling booth.
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Rathibala Ari’s son was among the seven BJP workers seriously injured in the attack and has been moved to a private hospital in Kolkata. The other injured workers were taken to Nandigram Super Speciality for treatment. So far, Nandigram police have not arrested anyone related to the incident. In response, the BJP’s state unit launched a protest and called for a 12-hour bandh in Nandigram.
The Trinamool leaders claimed that the death happened because of a fight between the old BJP and the new BJP, but the family of the person who died said it was a political murder. “Our brother-in-law used to be in Trinamool but then joined BJP. The Trinamool members were upset about him working for BJP,” explained the daughter-in-law of the person who died.
Taking to X, the Leader of Opposition in West Bengal and BJP MLA from Nandigram, Suvendu Adhikari, said, “BJP workers were guarding the booth in Mansabazar area of Sonachura in Nandigram. At that time, the grassroots miscreants jumped on them with sharp weapons. 7 people were seriously injured by sharp weapons. Rathibala Adi lost his life.”
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“This bloodshed is the direct result of the provocation given by the brother in Nandigram yesterday. The Trinamool committed this barbaric murder knowing defeat for sure. These jihadists do not hesitate to kill a woman! The Bharatiya Janata Party will see the end of it, legally retaliated and democratically answered. The answer is appropriate when the bloodshed in the struggling land of Nandigram has disappeared from the pages of history, ” read his post on X.
Adhikari has launched a scathing attack on the Central Forces for their inaction during the TMC goons’ attack on BJP workers, resulting in the death of an elderly woman. Suvendu Adhikari further confronted the IC of Nandigram Police Station for holding a meeting with the alleged perpetrators, vowing to seek the officer’s suspension from the Election Commission.
West Bengal has experienced instances of election violence in the first five phases of the Lok Sabha elections, with numerous reports emerging of assault, intimidation, and the hospitalisation of several BJP workers since the first phase polling.
Before this incident, an 18-year-old BJP worker was found dead in Purba Medinipur district on April 26. The deceased was identified as Dinabondhu Middya, a BJP worker.
Dinabondhu Middya was found in a betel-leaf farm in Goramahal village in the Mayna area of the district. Reports suggest that his body was found in a suspicious condition – although it was hanging, parts of his body were touching the ground, and there were also injury marks present. Following the incident, Dinabondhu Middya’s family accused TMC leaders of “kidnapping and murdering” him. However, the state’s ruling party, Trinamool Congress, rejected the charge.
According to ABP Ananda, 471 complaints were registered with the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the first two hours of polling during the fifth phase.
Polling in West Bengal is being held in seven phases of Lok Sabha polls. Polling has already been done in five phases and the voting for the remaining two phases will be held on May 25 and June 1. Votes will be counted on June 4.
In the sixth phase, polling will be held on May 25 in Tamluk, Kanthi, Ghatal, Jhargram, Medinipur, Purulia, Bankura, and Bishnupur.
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