BJP MP Locket Chatterjee claimed that a Trinamool agent was caught red-handed asking people to vote for her rival candidate from Hooghly, Rachana Banerjee.
“An AASHA worker was made to sit as a booth agent in lieu of money. She has been instructed to ask people to vote for Rachana. She is a Trinamool agent working as an assistant in booths asking people to vote for TMC. There is no other party slip with her,” Chatterjee said speaking to reporters on Monday as voting kicked off in her constituency on Monday.
Chatterjee said that the woman could not give adequate answers when confronted and said that she was instructed by higher officials who could not be traced.
“She could not say anything when countered. She said that she had been instructed by some ‘Sir’ who could not be found,” the BJP candidate from Hooghly said.
Chatterjee said that when the police were asked about the booth agent, they said that she was in charge of maintaining the queue. However, Chatterjee hit back saying that there were not many voters at the polling station at that time.
“When I told the police, they said that she was maintaining the queue. How many people were there that she was maintaining the queue?” the BJP MP said.
Chatterjee said that she will be informing the Election Commission about this incident which took place at 117 booth number of Hooghly’s Dhaniakhali.
Earlier in the day, Chatterjee said that while there are instances of threats at some places in her constituency, the overall situation is peaceful and everyone will be exercising their franchise.
“Everything is going on fine…There were instances of threatening at 2-3 places at a booth in Balagarh, Dhaniakhali. EVM machines are not working at a few locations but work is going on those,” Chatterjee said speaking to ANI.
Meanwhile, BJP candidate from Bangaon Lok Sabha seat Shantanu Thakur casts his vote on Monday.
While the TMC has fielded actor Rachna Banerjee from Hooghly, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) which is in partnership with the Congress in the INDIA bloc has fielded Manadip Ghosh.
Voting for the fifth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections 2024 began on Monday morning across 49 parliamentary constituencies spread over six states and two Union Territories (UTs) amid tight security and arrangements.