Lok Sabha polls: BJP MP Babul Supriyo's car vandalised, violence reported from Asansol in Bengal

Meanwhile, clashes between TMC workers and security personnel has been reported from polling booth number 199 in Asansol. 

Babul Supriyo told media: "I will visit the booths from where reports of violence have emerged."

Meanwhile, voters in West Bengal’s Pandabesar under Asansol constituency have boycotted polling in two booths. They are demanding central forces in the booths.

Violence was reported in the previous three phases of the polling in Bengal as well.

In Asansol, the contest is between TMC's Moon Moon Sen and BJP's Babul Supriyo.

Altogether 580 companies of para-military forces are deployed in those Lok Sabha segments spreading in four South Bengal districts.

With the increased deployment of central forces in phases from first on April 11, the poll body this time is considering to take no chance after a voter - Tearul Sheikh lynched some 100 meters from a Bhogobangola polling booth in Murshidabad in the third phase.

Besides general election observers and expenditure observers, the poll panel has for the first time deployed a special police observer.

Bengal votes in fourth phase:

Amid tight security arrangements, polling commenced for the crucial fourth phase of elections in Bengal in eight Lok Sabha seats on Monday.

Polling started at 0700 hrs and it will continue till 1800 hrs.

Voters were witnessed reaching their respective booths well before the start of the polling . Long queues were witnessed at several booths at 0630 hours.

Due to the severe heatwave conditions people were trying to cast their votes early.

The fate of 68 candidates would be decided with eight South Bengal constituencies of Baharampur, Krishnanagar, Ranaghat, Bardhaman Purba, Bardhaman–Durgapur, Asansol, Bolpur and Birbhum going to today's polling in the fourth of the seven-phase election.

An electorate of 1,34,56,491 will decide the fate of 68 candidates in these parliamentary constituencies.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), Indian National Congress (INC) and the Left Front fielded their candidates in all the eight constituencies.

There was high pitch campaigning for the eight seats by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, BJP national president Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Tripura counterpart Biplab Deb, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and other top leaders of the parties.

The high-pitched campaign was mainly polarized between Ms Banerjee and Mr Modi. Issues ranging from corruption to communalism, NRC to chit fund scams and development to security featured in the speeches of the warring party leaders.

The TMC supremo called upon the people to defeat the Modi government while the Prime Minister urged voters to exercise their franchise in his party's favour.

Prominent candidates contesting the fourth phase Lok Sabha elections are former West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president and former union minister Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from Baharampur, BJP candidate and Union Minister Surinderjeet Singh Ahluwalia from Bardhaman –Durgapur, Singer-cum-Union Minister & BJP candidate Babul Supriyo and TMC candidate veteran actress Moon Moon Sen from Asansol, former CPI(M) MP Dr Ram Chandra Dome from Bolpur and veteran actress-cum-sitting TMC MP Satabdi Roy.

Meanwhile, citing a voting-related murder of an electorate in the third phase election, the Election Commission is actively considering 100 per cent deployment of central armed forces to eight Lok Sabha seat during fourth phase polling.

In Baharampur, there are eleven contestants, including those from the mainstream parties such as TMC, BJP, RSP and Congress, but the main fight will be between Congress and TMC.

Former Minister of State for Railways and former West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury held the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat since 1999 when he defeated Promothes Mukherjee of the RSP.

This time Congress fielded Adhir Chowdhury from this constituency once again who is pitted against, ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Apurba Sarkar, BJP candidate Krishna Juardar Arya and RSP candidate ID Mohammad.

The incumbent parliamentarian, representing the constituency is from Congress – Adhir Chowdhury - who emerged victorious in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections by defeating the TMC candidate – famous singer Indranil Sen by a margin of 3,56,567 votes.

In the previous Lok Sabha elections, Congress candidate Adhir Chowdhury got 5, 83, 549 votes, Trinamool Congress candidate Indranil Sen got 2,26,982 votes. The RSP finished third in the table with its candidate Pramothes Mukherjee got 2, 25,699 votes and BJP candidate Debesh Kumar Adhikary finished fourth with 81,656 votes. Congress got 50.54 per cent vote share while the TMC got 19.69 per cent. The RSP received 19.54 per cent of vote share and the BJP 7.07 per cent.

As per the Election Commission data in 2019, a total number of electorate in Baharampur Lok Sabha seat is 16,30,510 of which 8,36, 021 are male, 7,94, 449 female and 40 third genders voters.

A total number of 1844 polling stations would be set up for voting. In Krishnanagar, there are eleven contestants, including those from the mainstream parties such as TMC, BJP, CPI (M) and Congress, but the main fight will be between TMC, BJP and CPI(M).

TMC nominated firebrand Trinamool Congress leader and party’s Karimpur MLA Mahua Moitra, who is to face a stiff fight by Santanu Jha of the CPI (M) and former national footballer Kalyan Chaubey of BJP and Intaj Ali Shah of Congress.