Trinamool, BJP supporters clash outside Bishnupur counting centre in Bengal

Kolkata, June 4 (IANS) Tension prevailed near the counting centre of Bishnupur (SC) Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal’s Bankura district after the supporters of the Trinamool Congress and the BJP took on each other.

BJP supporters alleged that after the fourth round of counting when the information surfaced that the party’s sitting MP and candidate Saumitra Khan was ahead by over 10,000 votes, the Trinamool Congress activists started creating ruckous in front of the counting centre.

Some of the camp offices of the BJP in the area were ransacked. Soon the BJP supporters assembled with sticks and retaliated, resulting in clashes between the two rival groups. Even the huge contingent of police there had difficulty controlling the situation.

Khan said that he has advised his party activists to be calm and concentrate on their respective counting tables.

Meanwhile, the celebration has already started in front of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence at Harish Chatterjee Street in South Kolkata as trends showed that Trinamool Congress was leading in 30 seats, followed by BJP at 10 and Congress at two.

Although the initial trend showed that the CPI(M) state secretary in West Bengal and the party politburo member was leading, later he trailed significantly to the Trinamool Congress’ sitting MP and party candidate Abu Taher Khan.

A tight contest is going on at Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency where the principal contestant is state Congress president and five-time party Lok Sabha member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

–IANS

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