Accusing the Trinamool Congress of creating widespread violence and intimidation of voters in West Bengal, left parties on Tuesday sought Election Commission’s intervention to ensure free and fair polls in the State. A left Front delegation, comprising senior leaders of CPI(M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc, met top EC officials with its demand.

The delegation pointed out that West Bengal administration was “shying from taking steps against the TMC Ministers engaged in hate speech and intimidation of voters”. While a Congress candidate was arrested in Uttar Pradesh for hate speech against BJP leader Narendra Modi, ‘numerous’ such intimidating speeches were being delivered openly by the TMC Ministers and leaders against the Opposition and even election officials, but no action has been taken so far, they said.

CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said top EC officials assured them that they would take necessary action to ensure free and fair elections in the State. Giving examples, Yechury alleged that a Block Development Officer was last week warned by the Trinamool ‘elements’ that he would be ‘beheaded’ if he continued to remove the wall-writings of their party from official buildings.

“The BDO lodged an FIR but no action has been taken so far,” he said, adding “even today, just when we were meeting the EC, poll officials were beaten up in Howrah by the TMC goons.” His senior party colleague and lF chairman Biman Basu alleged that there were ‘numerous’ instances of the model code being violated by TMC leaders, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her Ministers and workers, which they had brought to the EC’s notice.

The left Front leaders, including Manju Majumdar (CPI), Joyanta Roy (Forward Bloc), Manoj Bhattacharya (RSP) and Rabin Deb (CPI-M), said such incidents, which were going on in a large-scale, were a threat to democracy and the basic rights of the people.