West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday (April 1) directly accused Union home minister Amit Shah of misusing central para-military forces in favour of the BJP’s candidate from Nandigram, Suvendhu Adhikari.
Talking to the media persons at about 4:00 PM, while voting was still going on, she said that though these central police personnel are like brothers and sisters they are being misused by the BJP government at the Centre. She also charged that the BJP had brought large number of people from outside who are preventing the local voters in Nandigram and elsewhere from exercising their adult franchise.
Earlier, the Trinamool Congress supremo reached a polling booth at Boyal Primary School in Nandigram after she received reports that many BJP workers, alleged to be from outside, are not allowing the Trinamool Congress voters from voting.
As she arrived at the booth, she was greeted by a large number of the BJP workers, who reportedly gheraoed her. This was followed by slogans and counter-slogans by the supporters of both the parties. Even the security guards of Mamata advised her not to go out. The drama continued for more than an hour. The chief minister could come out only after the arrival of a large number of security personnel.
According to reports the chief minister rang the West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankar to lodge a complaint as to how can so many people from outside the state enter polling booths and intimidate the voters.
Coming down heavily on the Chief Election Commissioner, Sunil Arora, the West Bengal CM alleged that the EC is dancing to the tune of the BJP government. She reminded that this post was once held by men like (T N) Seshan and (S Y) Quraishi.
Elsewhere in Nandigram and other parts of the state polling took place in a very tense atmosphere with reports of sporadic violence coming from different places.
Meanwhile, more than 80% polling was reported from 30 seats in West Bengal and over 76% in 39 constituencies of Assam.
