Tensions erupted outside a vote-counting centre in West Bengal on Monday, after members of the Indian nationalist party Bharatiya Janata Party and its rival Trinamool Congress were reported to have fought during the tally.
A tense situation broke out, apparently devolving into a riot as officers took to lathicharge to disperse a throng to reestablish law and order. Witnesses and local officials said the confrontation began after ugly clashes between the workers of the two parties near the counting spot.
Supporters on both sides of the pair are said to have shouted slogans at each other as though they were a force against one another to win the counting area. Tensions escalated instantly then. Videos posted on social media showed that group tactics were used by police to disperse groups of agitated supporters gathering at the counting centre.
Various footage showed officers wielding batons to swat away bystanders in the heat of panic. Elsewhere, people appeared to run away from the place. An order was taken that security personnel be stationed quickly to reduce the number of incidents, authorities said.
The clashes had been resolved relatively quickly, the police said in a statement, though they did not ease relations around the counting centre. None were officially diagnosed in the immediate aftermath of the incident, though a handful of supporters were said to have gotten injured in a scuffle, and the nature of the police action, they said. Medical personnel were on standby as a precaution at the time.
#WATCH | West Bengal | Clash erupts between BJP and TMC workers in Cooch Behar's Dinhata, Central Forces personnel resort to lathi-charge pic.twitter.com/1UyxSq7KEN
— ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2026
Violence broke out amidst fierce political rivalries between the BJP and the TMC during the counting for the 2021 West Bengal Assembly Election. In early voting in some districts, the two parties were close to each other, further boosting sentiment among members of the state parties.
Politics had been at the centre of West Bengal’s electoral calendar for much of the past 20 years: campaigning, polling and counting, accompanied by intense riots and bloodshed at rallies. Hopeful protests were expected, and the Election Commission had already put very strict restrictions on victory rallies and directed mass security deployments to the places where elections took place across the state.
Key security features on the counting day are the central armed police forces, state police, CCTV, barricades, and limited entry points around the areas where counting took place. But there were pockets of trouble and fighting in the countryside. The BJP and TMC leadership attributed the savagery to one another.
BJP leaders said supporters of the TMC had used intimidation to intimidate workers near its counting spot, while representatives from TMC said the BJP activists had deliberately prepared for the unrest to obstruct the process. The close competition between the two parties, political analysts said, has further carved up the state’s political landscape in recent years.
The election is one of the bloodiest political contests in West Bengal; the parties are fighting tooth and nail for power. Peacekeeper: Police officials also urged supporters of all parties not to congregate near counting centres to disturb the peace or people. Strict measures would be taken against anyone who tries to create turmoil or get in the way of the police’s work, the officials said.
The Election Commission is monitoring the situation; the Election Commission is also monitoring and receiving notifications from district administrations to monitor the law and order condition during the counting process.
