‘Misuse of forces’: Mamata rages again as Phase 3 polling underway in Bengal
On April 1, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee accused Union home minister and BJP leader Amit Shah of misusing the central forces, which are in the eastern state to oversee the smooth organisation of the polls, to force people to vote for his party.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday once again alleged that the “blatant misuse of the central forces continues unabated,” as the state went to the polls in the third round of the eight-phase assembly elections.
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“The blatant misuse of Central forces continues unabated. Despite us repeatedly raising this issue, @ECISVEEP continues to be a mute spectator while the men in uniform are being misused at several places to openly intimidate the TMC voters and influence many to vote in favour of one party,” Banerjee tweeted, in an apparent reference to the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the “one party," and sharing a video clip with her tweet.
Last week, in the second phase of the polling on April 1, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo sat inside a polling booth herself for nearly two hours upon receiving complaints of “booth rigging,” even as outside, workers of the TMC and the BJP nearly came to blows with each other. Speaking to the media after being escorted out of the booth, the two-term chief minister accused Union home minister and BJP leader Amit Shah of misusing the central forces, which are in the eastern state to oversee the smooth organisation of the polls, to force people to vote for his party.
Watch | ‘Amit Shah’s order…’: Mamata Banerjee blames home minister for Nandigram chaos
Banerjee has repeatedly alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is a “mute spectator.” Responding to her complaint regarding “disruption of voting” in the assembly constituency of Nandigram, which was among 30 constituencies where voting took place in the second round, the poll body said that her allegations were “factually incorrect.”
Banerjee is the TMC’s candidate from Nandigram and is pitted against her former aide and the sitting MLA, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP. She has previously questioned the commission for scheduling assembly elections in West Bengal in eight phases, wondering if this was done on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Shah.
After Tuesday’s polling, 91 out of the state’s 294 assembly constituencies will have voted; 30 seats each went to the polls on March 27 and April 1. The eighth and final phase will be held on April 29. Counting of votes and result declaration are scheduled to take place on May 2.