NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Sunday rejected accusations made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee about the entry of outsiders and the seizure of booths at a polling station in Boyal in Nandigram on April 1 as “factually incorrect “.
The electoral body said the accusations “have no empirical evidence and lack substance.”
In a letter sent to Banjeree on Saturday, EC gave a forceful response to the allegations made by her in a handwritten note she had written when Mamata camped out at the Boyal polling place on April 1, amid widespread coverage by electronic media. His note was addressed to the EC and the district election official.
Based on the note, as well as reports from the media and its own officials, the survey panel had requested a report from its special observers in West Bengal, Ajay Nayak and Vivek Dube, which was received at 5.30pm Friday.
EC, in its response to Banerjee based on the findings, pointed out that the media “showed dozens of audiovisual shots of their presence in this electoral college and literally threw up an avalanche of complaints about some officials who worked in the West Bengal government itself, paramilitaries forces and eventually in the Electoral Commission “.
With “deep regret”, the Electoral Commission pointed out that “it was sought to weave a media narrative hour after hour to divert the main stakeholders, which are the voters, through a candidate who also turns out to be the honorable CM of the state.”
“At least it should have been appreciated that the sideshow was filled with immense potential to have an adverse impact on law and order in West Bengal and perhaps a few other states. And all this was being done when the electoral process was underway. There could not have been a greater fault ”.
The Commission added that it was examining separately whether the events of April 1 warrant any action under Sections 131 and 123 (2) of the People’s Representation Law (RP Law) and / or model code of conduct.
While Section 131 of the RP Act deals with disorderly conduct in or near polling stations, Section 123 (2) deals with disturbances in the conduct of elections.
EC, in its response to the Nandigram candidate, provided a full timeline of the smooth progress of the vote in Boyal despite complaints received from the TMC voting agent and later from the CM, as well as actions taken on the spot by electoral authorities to verify and address these. He said there is no mention in the reports of multi-level officials “neither of outsiders nor of gunmen and thugs who captured said cabin.”
On the allegation that the Trinamool election agent was denied entry to the voting booth, EC said the report from district officials mentioned the great efforts the district administration made to ensure the presence of the election agent. , but that he refused to attend despite being assured that he would be escorted by the police and the sector officer of the booth. “The ECI cannot force anyone who is unwilling to work as an electoral agent,” the Commission said.
EC also added that despite the candidate’s presence at the polling station for a considerable period of time, the voting process was not interrupted. “Unless some people shouted slogans for and against Ms Mamata Banerjee, there were no reports of violence or intimidation of voters,” EC told Banerjee.
Banerjee had complained on April 1 that she was “surprised to see the role of the central forces together with the officers on electoral functions, that no genuine voter is allowed to enter booth # 5/7, in the Boyal area. from Boyal Maktab Primary School “.
As hordes of Trinamool and BJP supporters clashed outside, the CM camped there “cheating votes” by “outsiders” after spending 2 hours and 10 minutes in Boyal.
“Only outsiders from the BJP party along with guns and thugs captured the booth in front of the police officers,” said the CM while sitting in a wheelchair outside of booth 7. “I am a candidate sitting outside the room in my wheelchair to seek justice for peaceful, free and fair elections, but no one from the town is allowing (sic) to enter the voting booth, including the electoral agent ”, he alleged.
“I fear that with a brutal provocation from the BJP candidate and from outsiders any serious incident could occur,” the CM said, urging the EC to treat it as urgent and present an FIR and take urgent action.
Mamata criticized EC for “inaction” despite the fact that her party filed several complaints related to the elections and threatened to change the courts.
Banerjee confronts his former lieutenant Suvendu Adhikari, who has switched to the BJP for the Nandigram constituency.
The electoral body said the accusations “have no empirical evidence and lack substance.”
In a letter sent to Banjeree on Saturday, EC gave a forceful response to the allegations made by her in a handwritten note she had written when Mamata camped out at the Boyal polling place on April 1, amid widespread coverage by electronic media. His note was addressed to the EC and the district election official.
Based on the note, as well as reports from the media and its own officials, the survey panel had requested a report from its special observers in West Bengal, Ajay Nayak and Vivek Dube, which was received at 5.30pm Friday.
EC, in its response to Banerjee based on the findings, pointed out that the media “showed dozens of audiovisual shots of their presence in this electoral college and literally threw up an avalanche of complaints about some officials who worked in the West Bengal government itself, paramilitaries forces and eventually in the Electoral Commission “.
With “deep regret”, the Electoral Commission pointed out that “it was sought to weave a media narrative hour after hour to divert the main stakeholders, which are the voters, through a candidate who also turns out to be the honorable CM of the state.”
“At least it should have been appreciated that the sideshow was filled with immense potential to have an adverse impact on law and order in West Bengal and perhaps a few other states. And all this was being done when the electoral process was underway. There could not have been a greater fault ”.
The Commission added that it was examining separately whether the events of April 1 warrant any action under Sections 131 and 123 (2) of the People’s Representation Law (RP Law) and / or model code of conduct.
While Section 131 of the RP Act deals with disorderly conduct in or near polling stations, Section 123 (2) deals with disturbances in the conduct of elections.
EC, in its response to the Nandigram candidate, provided a full timeline of the smooth progress of the vote in Boyal despite complaints received from the TMC voting agent and later from the CM, as well as actions taken on the spot by electoral authorities to verify and address these. He said there is no mention in the reports of multi-level officials “neither of outsiders nor of gunmen and thugs who captured said cabin.”
On the allegation that the Trinamool election agent was denied entry to the voting booth, EC said the report from district officials mentioned the great efforts the district administration made to ensure the presence of the election agent. , but that he refused to attend despite being assured that he would be escorted by the police and the sector officer of the booth. “The ECI cannot force anyone who is unwilling to work as an electoral agent,” the Commission said.
EC also added that despite the candidate’s presence at the polling station for a considerable period of time, the voting process was not interrupted. “Unless some people shouted slogans for and against Ms Mamata Banerjee, there were no reports of violence or intimidation of voters,” EC told Banerjee.
Banerjee had complained on April 1 that she was “surprised to see the role of the central forces together with the officers on electoral functions, that no genuine voter is allowed to enter booth # 5/7, in the Boyal area. from Boyal Maktab Primary School “.
As hordes of Trinamool and BJP supporters clashed outside, the CM camped there “cheating votes” by “outsiders” after spending 2 hours and 10 minutes in Boyal.
“Only outsiders from the BJP party along with guns and thugs captured the booth in front of the police officers,” said the CM while sitting in a wheelchair outside of booth 7. “I am a candidate sitting outside the room in my wheelchair to seek justice for peaceful, free and fair elections, but no one from the town is allowing (sic) to enter the voting booth, including the electoral agent ”, he alleged.
“I fear that with a brutal provocation from the BJP candidate and from outsiders any serious incident could occur,” the CM said, urging the EC to treat it as urgent and present an FIR and take urgent action.
Mamata criticized EC for “inaction” despite the fact that her party filed several complaints related to the elections and threatened to change the courts.
Banerjee confronts his former lieutenant Suvendu Adhikari, who has switched to the BJP for the Nandigram constituency.
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