Overall elections are going on peacefully: Suvendu Adhikari after reports of BJP worker thrashed

After reports emerged that a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker was allegedly thrashed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers during the second phase of state Assembly polls, BJP candidate from Nandigram, Suvendu Adhikari said the elections overall are going on peacefully thanks to central forces.

Speaking to the media in Nandigram, Adhikari said: "Nothing happened at the booth. Some people looted the house of our worker in Kanchan Nagar. Panchayat member Amirul is behind the hanging of a BJP worker. Calls have been made for his swift arrest."

"Overall, the elections are going on peacefully. The central forces have tightened the noose. Earlier, people used to roam on motorbikes and honked, but that has now stopped," he added.

Voting for the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly election began at 7 am on Thursday.

In phase-II, a total of 30 Assembly constituencies from the districts of South 24 Parganas, Bankura, Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur are heading in to vote.

Out of the 171 candidates in the fray, 152 are men and the remaining are women. It means only 11 per cent of the candidates are women.

Among these candidates, two are undoubtedly the most prominent figures, that is, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in December last year.

Nandigram is experiencing the most high-profile contest with Banerjee and Adhikari taking on each other. Adhikari had earlier pledged that he would quit politics if he does not defeat Mamata Banerjee by 50,000 votes in Nandigram.

( With inputs from ANI )