Amid the sixth phase of polling, BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Jhargram, Pranat Tudu, faced a hostile situation in the Mangalapota area of Garbeta, West Midnapore district, forcing him to flee as stones were hurled at him and his security team.
Dramatic footage captured the tense moments as security personnel, armed with shields, tried to protect Tudu. The video shows individuals chasing after him, with one large stone narrowly missing a person by mere centimeters. As more stones rained down, Tudu, his security officers, and accompanying media personnel were seen sprinting to safety.
Tudu accused “Trinamool Congress (TMC) goons” of orchestrating the attack, claiming that two of his security personnel sustained head injuries and required hospitalization. The TMC, however, countered by alleging that Tudu’s security team assaulted a woman waiting to vote, sparking the violent protest.
Mamata Banerjee is murdering democracy in Bengal. Now, TMC goons attack BJP’s Jhargram (a Tribal seat) candidate and ABP Ananda’s crew. Despite attempts to preclude people from casting vote, West Bengal has one of the highest voter turnout across the country. People are voting to… pic.twitter.com/ZMdTPhxiYw
— Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) May 25, 2024
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BJP’s Bengal co-incharge, Amit Malviya, took to social media to condemn the incident, blaming the TMC for the attack and asserting that the people are eager to “kick out” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s party.
The BJP reported that Tudu was en route to polling booths in Garbeta after receiving complaints that party agents were being barred entry. According to Tudu, “All of a sudden, TMC goons who had blocked the roads started hurling bricks at my car. When my security personnel intervened, they were injured. Two CISF jawans accompanying me received head injuries and had to be hospitalized,” as quoted by PTI.
Conversely, the TMC alleged that it was Tudu’s security detail that instigated the violence by attacking a woman in the voting line, which provoked the villagers to protest.
The altercation also resulted in damage to vehicles belonging to media personnel. A police team was dispatched to the scene to restore order, according to the PTI report.
Jhargram is a significant constituency for the BJP, having won it in 2019 amidst a remarkable performance in West Bengal, where the party increased its seats from two to 18. In the 2019 elections, BJP candidate Kunar Hembram narrowly defeated the TMC’s Birbaha Saren by approximately 12,000 votes.
