'CRPF personnel delayed poll process in some booths'

kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders alleged that many people could not cast their votes in the by-election in Ballygunge and Asansol due to the highhandedness of CRPF personnel.

The trouble started at the polling station housed in South Point High School on Tuesdsay morning, when the CRPF jawans allegedly did not allow people to enter the polling centre with mobile phones. Many people, particularly the office goers, told the CRPF personnel that in the Assembly election in 2021 they had entered the polling stations with cell phones. The CRPF jawans allegedly told them that if they wanted to cast their votes, they would have to enter the polling stations without mobile phones.

TMC leaders alleged that polling was delayed for about an hour because of the confusion. Finally, the Presiding Officer said the voters should put the cell phones in silent mode.

Debashis Kumar, south Kolkata TMC president, alleged that CRPF jawans were there inside many booths. Sudarshana Mukherjee said the Election Commission of India did not have any clear cut instruction on the matter.

No place was set up at the polling stations where the voters could keep their phones and go inside the polling booths. She alleged that when some Trinamool workers were deployed to take the cell phones from the voters when they go inside the booths to exercise their franchise, the CRPF jawans also resisted. In Asansol Lok Sabha seat, the CRPF jawans did the same thing in Baraboni and Asansol South Assembly seats. TMC MLA Pradip Mazumdar said in the morning in many booths the voters were not allowed to enter with mobile phones. TMC leaders alleged that in many booths in Asansol, the CRPF jawans urged voters to vote for the BJP.