The CPM candidate for Seat 24, Syed Ashif Hossain, who stays near his polling booth, alleges that he was not allowed to reach the venue and cast his vote. Nor could he venture out of the house, and needed police protection just to reach the thana to lodge a protest.
I am a 45-year-old advertising professional. I stay in a co-operative building in BA Block, behind Sonar Kella Park. Our polling booth was in the same area where I was contesting from.
I took my two-wheeler out from our lane around 6am and as soon as I reached Street 134, around 50-60 people surrounded me. Some had sticks in hand. “Apni beroben na,” they ordered me, forcing me to return home.
Scores of calls started coming from neighbours, complaining that they were being stopped by dozens of unknown faces. A young woman said she tried going to the college with her elderly father but they pushed him to the street. She was agitated and wanted me to come with her. I told her I was unable to go out myself.
Around 10am, a comrade came to pick me up. But a car blocked our road. We honked and honked but it would not move. I told them my daughter was ill — she is indeed running a fever for a week — and I needed to pick up her test reports from the hospital. They said they would make me speak to “Debraj da”. But I refused to seek what was being projected as a favour.
An hour later, the police agreed to send a car to pick me up. But near Narkelbagan, the officer got a call and asked me to get off there. I refused as I felt unsafe. So they took me back home.
After my comrades blocked the road in front of the police station around 1.30am, the police took me to the thana. I found all our other candidates there. None could cast their votes. We lodged a complaint together.
A protest rally makes its way from Pride Plaza on Sunday evening. Close to 500 residents of New Town took to the streets to demand a repoll after they were stopped from reaching the polling booths on Saturday. A human chain was formed around Biswa Bangla Gate for about half an hour. Songs of protest were sung and poetry recited. A voter who could vote only on his fifth attempt and another who failed to cast his vote despite repeated attempts through the day addressed the gathering, as did representatives of the CPM, the BJP and the Congress. The Telegraph
Residents take part in the rally. The Telegraph