Sporadic clashes between supporters of the Trinamool Congress and the BJP disrupted the Contai Cooperative Agricultural and Rural Development Bank pollson Saturday.
Amid a thin presence of BJP supporters, Trinamool’s Ramnagar MLA and former minister Akhil Giri accused the police of assaulting him as he attempted to resist “fake voters”.
Giri’s right arm was hurt after he fell to the ground during an alleged scuffle with police. He was admitted to a private hospital.
Major clashes were reported from Ramnagar and Egra, where Giri’s son Suprakash, the chairperson of Contai municipality, was accused of threatening a BJP mandal committee president outside a polling station while police allegedly remainedmute spectators.
The tussle was triggered by Trinamool leadership’s intensified efforts to counter Nandigram MLA Suvendu Adhikari’s influence in the cooperative bank’s management in Contai, his home turf. Adhikari had chaired two major cooperative banks in Contai for about 23 years. However, Trinamool last December defeated the BJP in the Contai Cooperative Bank election, winning 101 out of 108 seats.
For Saturday’s election to the 78-member Contai Cooperative Agricultural and Rural Development Bank management, the BJP had approached Calcutta High Court demanding the deployment of central armed forces for a “free and fair” election, but the court rejected the plea.
On Saturday, shortly after voting commenced, clashes erupted at multiple polling stations between Trinamool and BJP workers. In most places, BJP supporters were vastly outnumbered as the TMC supporters dominated the polling process. No prominent BJP leaders were seen assisting their supporters at thepolling stations.
Tensions escalated as the day progressed. Giri arrived at the Ramnagar College polling station, alleging fake voters were being used to favourthe BJP.
The situation worsened when the police prohibited some voters —alleged Trinamool supporters — from entering a polling station with photocopies of their Aadhaar cards, which they insisted should be accepted as valid identity proof. Giri intervened, leading to a heated altercation with cops. Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel attempted to restrain him, causing him to fall and hurt his rightarm and waist.
Giri told reporters: “I went to protest because the police were obstructing voters. The police pushed me. Igot injured.”
He blamed DSP Abu Noor Hossain for the incident, alleging the police assaulted him as he resisted ghost voters. He further claimed that fake voters were being brought in by cars arranged by the cooperative bank.
Obeying the court’s directive, the district administration deployed a large security force to maintain law and order in the area.
Later, Trinamool supporters staged a demonstration in front of the Ramnagar police station, accusing a section of the police of aiding the BJP in the elections. They alleged Giri suffered more injuries to his waist and head due to a push by the DSP. Protesters blocked NH116B.
BJP leader and Contai Municipality’s BJP councillor Tapas Dolui alleged Giri and his son Suprakash obstructed voters in a premeditated way with police support.
“They deployed fake voters and prevented genuine BJP supporters from entering polling stations. To divert public attention, he (Giri) later staged a fabricated scuffle with police. The entire episode was scripted by the ruling party, with police playing their role perfectly,” Dolui said.
The Cooperative Bank has 78 seats, with polls held to 65 seats. TMC-aligned candidates secured 13 seats uncontested. A total of 58,153 voters cast their ballots across 13 polling stations. The bank handles an annual transaction volume of ₹1.35 crore.
Polling took place from 9am to 5pm, followed by the counting of votes. However, no trends emerged till the time this report was filed.
