A fight broke out over a ballot box at a public meeting in Coochbehar soon after Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee left the venue.
Trinamool supporters were seen with torn ballot paper pieces and getting into a fight with each other. The incident happened during voting after Mr Banerjee left the meeting.
"Given the excitement of people for the new ballot system, the crowd hogged the stage in large numbers in an unorganised manner because of which the chaotic situation unfolded," a Trinamool source who was at the venue said.
A re-polling will be called at the same location tomorrow from 10 am to 5 pm.
The Trinamool is holding elections to select candidates for the upcoming panchayat polls in West Bengal. At district-level Trinamool sessions, people have been asked to share their views on panchayat candidates through a referendum.
"I have heard that in Sitai, after my meeting ended, the ballot box was kept on the stage and some people in their excitement to vote almost broke the box. This is why we have started the 'Trinamool ey Nabajowar' (new wave in Trinamool) campaign," Mr Banerjee said.
"I know where there can be fear and where people can do something. I am asking the Sitai MLA, district president, that tomorrow from 10 am to 5 pm they should ensure voting takes place at the same venue," he said.
He has asked a report on today's incident. "If someone thinks that by using force they will enter their own names, we will remove the tickets from the party. Such people are living in a fool's paradise. The gatekeeper here is Abhishek Banerjee," he said.
Mr Banerjee is on a two-month yatra across Bengal in a campaign called "Jono Sanjog Yatra". It is an attempt by the party to identify the right set of public representatives. The campaign will continue for 60 days and Mr Banerjee will travel some 3,500 km in a caravan. He will hold more than 250 rallies.
The yatra, being undertaken in a bus, will see district-level Trinamool sessions where people will share their views on panchayat candidates through a referendum, which will be called 'Gram Banglar Motamot' (opinion of rural Bengal), where locals will share their choice of Trinamool candidates for the upcoming panchayat polls through secret ballot.
from NDTV News- Topstories https://ift.tt/vJ2hxyS
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