Tensions escalated and indictments skyrocketed in Nandigram, the constituency of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Election Day Thursday as more than 80 percent of the 76 lakh votes in 30 districts were broadcast at 5 pm in the second phase of the Assembly. elections in the state.
Banerjee was held for more than two hours in a voting booth in Nandigram, where supporters of the ruling TMC and BJP almost came to blows. His security guards formed a cordon while he waited in a wheelchair. She was able to move only after a large contingent of central forces and police personnel arrived at the site.
He later criticized the Election Commission and claimed that the BJP had terrorized voters. He even called Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, but he declined to reveal details. “Yes, I have spoken with the governor and a special observer from the EC. I cannot reveal everything that I spoke to them, ”Banerjee told reporters after leaving the voting booth.
His BJP opponent, Suvendu Adhikari, who toured different areas of the constituency, praised the conduct of the central forces and the EC.
Hitting Banerjee, Adhikari said: “The incident and his behavior show that he has lost the election. She is just trying to get attention. Without the sacrifice of Suvendu Adhikari and the lives of 41 people, Mamata Banerjee could never have become the Chief Minister of Bengal in 2011. This time I am not with her and therefore she will not be the Chief Minister this time. Every day, she has flouted the EC guidelines and lied. I am happy with the elections. The central forces have done a good job and the Electoral Commission has guaranteed free and fair elections ”.
Mamata Banerjee stayed at a booth at Nandigram.
For Banerjee and the BJP, the battle for Nandigram is a fight of prestige. Because it was the 2007 agitation against land acquisition in Nandigram that catapulted Banerjee to the center of politics in West Bengal, paving the way for TMC’s victory in the 2011 Assembly elections that ended 34 years of government of the Left Front.
Suvendu Adhikari before casting his vote at a booth in Nandigram.
On Thursday, sporadic incidents were reported in parts of Nandigram where long lines were seen at the polls. Among the reported incidents was one involving a TMC agent who was allegedly kicked out of booth number 7 at Boyal.
Banerjee was presented at 1.30 pm at Boyal Mukto Prathamik Vidyalaya, where the booth was located.
People queue outside a booth at Nandigram.
Addressing the BJP, he told the press: “They have brought in thugs from outside. They are spreading terror … Not only Boyal, areas like Gokulnagar and Balarampur have witnessed violence. Democracy is the festival of the people. My most humble greetings to the Electoral Commission. But I ask you: what you have done in Nandigram and other areas in these two phases, please do not do it in the next phases of the polls. I’ve seen (TN) Seshan I’ve seen (SY) Quraishi, but I’ve never seen such a bad choice. “
“We will win Nandigram. We will get 90 percent of the votes…. I cannot reveal what I told the governor or the observer, ”he said.
“I don’t blame the central forces…. they are following the instructions of the Union Minister of the Interior … to assist the BJP and the outsiders. They can’t even speak Bengali, ”he said.
Security personnel watch as villagers raise slogans against West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who waits inside a polling station, during the second phase of West Bengal’s assembly elections, in Boyal, Nandigram, on Thursday . (PTI photo)
He also addressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “Why do you come and hold public meetings on Election Day? Isn’t it a violation of the Model Code of Conduct? ”.
When she alleged tampering, BJP supporters rallied and began raising slogans. Later, TMC supporters arrived at the scene and chanted anti-Suvendu slogans. The situation became tense and the two parties almost came to blows.
Central forces arrived at the scene and tried to control the situation. EC observers and Nagendra Tripathi, an IPS officer in charge of monitoring the security situation in Nandigram during the elections, came forward with more policemen. Tripathi spoke with the Chief Minister and then approached the two groups, holding conversations with each. Supporters of the two parties moved later.
Nandigram: Security personnel watch as villagers raise slogans against West Bengal’s Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, as they wait inside a polling station, during the second phase of West Bengal’s assembly elections, in Boyal, Nandigram, Thursday. (PTI photo)
“I spoke to the two groups and was able to convince them to keep the peace. I have also assured the Chief Minister that free and fair elections will be held in this booth, ”Tripathi told the media while escorting Banerjee.
Governor Dhankhar, in a Twitter post, said: “Issues flagged by @MamataOfficial some time ago over the phone have been reported to stakeholders. There is a full guarantee that the interested parties adhere to the rule of law. I am sure that everyone will act with the right spirit and seriousness for democracy to flourish. “
South 24 Parganas: Security personnel stand guard as citizens wait to cast their vote during the second phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, in Gosaba, in the South 24 Parganas district, on Thursday, April 1, 2021 ( PTI photo) (PTI04_01_2021_000274B)
The Election Commission issued a press release late Thursday, saying that voting at Nandigram polling station 7 went smoothly. By 4 p.m., nearly 74% of registered voters had cast their ballot, according to the poll panel. The Commission had asked its general observer and the police observer to go to the Boyal school after reports of disturbances emerged in the media.
On the handwritten complaint submitted by Chief Minister Banerjee to the State Executive Director, the Commission asked Police Special Observer Vivek Dube and Special Observer General Ajay Nayak to submit a report by 6pm on Friday.
Meanwhile, after the polls passed the elections, the deputy of the Trinamool Congress of Tamluk and brother of Suvendu Adhikari, the BJP candidate, wrote a letter to the district magistrate of Purba Medinipur and the district election official fearing disruption. of communal harmony in Nandigram.
In his letter, he wrote: “Considering the current political situation in the area, I personally learn that the existing communal harmony can be clearly disturbed. Resulting in the total ruin of the normal peaceful life of the people residing there. Therefore, I strongly request to your good office that you take all precautionary measures well in advance to maintain the existing community harmony for the best interest for an integrated and peaceful life of all the people here …– (With ENS from New Delhi)
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