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Major political parties in Malda, a district where Assembly polls would be held in half of its 12 seats on Monday, traded charges of violence and violations of Election Commission norms before voting day.
The BJP alleged Trinamul-backed goons had torched one of its election offices at Manikchak on Saturday night.
Refuting the allegation, Trinamul leaders accused the BJP of bringing in over 1,000 people at a public meeting in Manikchak on Sunday, where party leaders like Locket Chatterjee were present, disobeying the EC’s Covid protocols that limit crowds to 500.
Trinamul further alleged that Nishith Pramanik, the BJP MP of Cooch Behar, who visited Malda on Sunday, violated the model code of conduct by visiting BSF camps.
The elections held in six of the 12 constituencies in Malda a district with around 55 per cent minority population on Monday bore broad hints that the battle was a direct contest between the BJP and the Trinamul Congress.
Over 13 lakh voters went to the booths to exercise their franchise in the first phase of the elections in the district, which has always been a Congress stronghold. The rest of the seats in the district will vote on April 29.
“Unlike earlier elections when the Congress always had an extra edge in most seats in the district, the political equations appear to be different this time. A considerable section of Muslims, who had been with the Congress for decades, seem to be siding with Trinamul,” said Najibar Rehman, an educationist and a political analyst in Malda town.