Chaos during voting in eastern India: mob throws EVM and VVPT into pond
by ShravyaTurmoil erupted in eastern India’s West Bengal as a mob reportedly threw EVM and VVPT machines into a pond at polling booths.
The incident took place at South 24 Parganas District on June 1.
Visuals showed Police officers were Baton-charged to disperse the mob that had gathered around the polling booths. Amidst the chaos, some individuals managed to grab the EVM machines from the booths. In a frantic attempt to escape the police, they ran towards the pond and threw the machines into the water.
Voting for the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections is currently underway. Amidst this, reports of unrest have emerged from West Bengal. In the South 24 Parganas district, an irate crowd allegedly threw EVM and VVPT machines into a pond shortly after voting commenced.
According to local sources, voters were allegedly threatened by TMC supporters, which incited the crowd to retaliate by tossing the machines into the water.
Voting in this phase is being conducted across 57 seats in seven states and one union territory, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency in Varanasi. Among the states, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are voting for 13 seats each, West Bengal for 9 seats, Bihar for 8, Odisha for 6, Himachal Pradesh for 4, Jharkhand for 3, and Chandigarh for one seat.
This final phase sees several high-profile candidates contending for seats. Notable figures include Union Minister Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur, Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee from Diamond Harbour, Lalu Prasad’s daughter Misa Bharti from Pataliputra, and actress Kangana Ranaut from Mandi.