Kolkata: Stray incidents of violence were reported on Thursday, April 29, from several areas where voting is underway for the eighth and last phase of assembly elections in Bengal.Polls are being held amidst a significant surge in COVID-19 cases in 11,860 polling stations of 35 constituencies – 11 each in Murshidabad and Birbhum, six in Malda and seven in north Kolkata.The polling percentage was 37.80% till 11 am, Election Commission officials said.MurshidabadOne person was killed and two others injured as a car hit them in Murshidabad district, hours before the polling exercise began, triggering tension in the area, a police officer said earlier in the day.The CPI(M) said that its member Kader Mondal (42) was killed, and two others – Asim Al Mamoon (43) and Lal Chand Mondal (42) – sustained injuries after TMC candidate Jafikul Islam ran his car over them.Islam, the TMC’s Domkal seat candidate, rubbished the allegation, claiming that he was nowhere near the site of the incident.Chief Election Officer (CEO) Aariz Aftab has sought a report from district authorities in the matter.Also read: Bengal: How Infighting Took Away TMC’s Fighting Chance in Cooch Behar DistrictNorth KolkataIn the city’s Beliaghata area, clashes broke out between two groups of people, following which the police resorted to lathicharge to disperse them.Two persons, who identified themselves as BJP activists, alleged that they were roughed up by TMC workers during the melee.Nuns of Missionaries of Charity stand in a queue at a polling booth to cast their votes during the 8th and final phase of the West Bengal Assembly polls, in Kolkata, Thursday, April 29, 2021. Photo: PTIIn Jorashanko constituency of central Kolkata, crude bombs were hurled outside Mahajati Sadan, the police said. BJP candidate Meena Devi Purohit alleged that the bombs were thrown at her vehicle while she was touring different polling booths.In Maniktala constituency, BJP candidate Kalyan Choubey was gheraoed by a group of people during his visit to the polling booths.Choubey said “TMC-backed anti-socials” tried to create disturbances “so that they could rig the polls”.TMC candidate Sadhan Pande, however, alleged agents of his party were beaten up by the BJP cadres in several booths.BirbhumIn Nanoor constituency of violence-prone Birbhum district, BJP candidate Tarakeshwar Saha reportedy suffered injuries after his vehicle was ransacked. Saha accused TMC cadres of attacking him, but the allegation was dubbed as “baseless” by local leaders of the state’s ruling party.Bengal registered its highest single-day spike of 17,207 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, while 77 more people succumbed to the disease.The poll panel has placed TMC’s Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal under strict surveillance till 7 am on Friday, as the CEO received “several complaints against him”.(With PTI inputs)