Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Voting in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026 was marred by fresh violence on Thursday after a video surfaced showing BJP candidate Subhendu Sarkar being chased through fields and allegedly assaulted by a mob in Kumarganj.Bengal polls phase 1: Follow live updatesThe footage showed Sarkar running across open fields alongside a police official before he was caught by a group of people and attacked.The BJP alleged that its Kumarganj nominee was attacked by supporters of the All India Trinamool Congress while heading to a polling booth after receiving reports of disturbances.Sarkar himself described the incident in detail. “In the Kumarganj Assembly constituency, our polling agents in 8-10 polling stations were forcibly removed. I personally intervened and ensured they were allowed back inside. When I visited Booth No. 24 to inspect the situation on the ground, they launched an attack on my entire team and me; they were clearly intent on creating an atmosphere of intimidation and fear... Central Forces were present at the polling station itself—they were inside the premises. But when I arrived on the scene, I was accompanied only by my bodyguard; there was no one else with us… Mamata Banerjee has lost the election, and Trinamool Congress are losing all four seats in this region. Out of sheer desperation and fear, they launched an attack on us…”He also claimed he was injured and his vehicle vandalised during the attack.Authorities said action would be taken against those identified through video footage, even as the Election Commission sought reports from districts hit by unrest.Elsewhere, clashes were reported in Murshidabad and Birbhum, with allegations of voter intimidation, stone-pelting and assaults on polling agents. Despite the incidents, officials said polling was largely peaceful overall, with voter turnout crossing 60% by 1pm.
