During the 1st phase of voting for state assembly elections in West Bengal on 23rd April, BJP candidate from South Dinajpur, Shuvendu Sarkar, was manhandled by several TMC workers. In a viral video of the incident, TMC workers could be seen heckling Sarkar while a security person tried to protect the BJP candidate.
Shuvendu Sarkar was chased across the fields by TMC workers when the BJP leader was walking to the school where the polling booth was set up. In a video, Sarkar is seen running through a field with a cop by his side as alleged TMC workers chase him. In the midway, a man grabs Sarkar and assaults him. By the time the security personnel managed to intervene to protect Sarkar, more people from behind reached the scene and overpowered him.
Speaking to the media, Shuvendu Sarkar said that TMC workers were forcibly removing BJP agents from various polling stations on Thursday.
BJP candidate Shubhendu Sarkar alleges assault by TMC workers near Booth 24 in Kumarganj; claims he was attacked in presence of police. pic.twitter.com/ajUU6im4Lh
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) April 23, 2026
“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,” Sarkar said.
While the voting in West Bengal is going on, several incidents of violence have been reported from the state. Earlier in the day, Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers clashed with supporters of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AUJP). The violence erupted shortly after AUJP founder Humayun Kabir, a former TMC MLA who was sacked by the party in December 2025, visited the site of a poll-eve crude bomb attack that injured at least one person the previous night. Kabir said that he was “suddenly attacked” by TMC supporters in the area.
