Hours before Bengal goes to the final phase of elections on Thursday the security forces on Wednesday recovered two bag-full of bombs from a booth in Ramnagar constituency of East Midnapore district, barely a few miles from the sea beach of Digha.
The bombs were found at the booth number 142 at Shankarpur Primary School. The incident comes close on the heels of Opposition parties including left, Congress and the BJP petitioning the Election Commission to remove officers in-charge of Ramnagar, Mahishda, Haldia, Panshkura and Moyna Police Stations for clandestinely meeting Trinamool Congress MP Suvendu Adhikary at a college in Panshkura.
The district administration in its report to the ECI however denied any such meeting having taken place between the police offcers and Adhikary. This, even as the CPI(M) leadership which had reported about meeting having taken place in the small hours of May 2 at Banamali College on Wednesday “corrected the fact” claiming the meeting had infact taken place at the B Ed College Panshkura.
Meanwhile, elaborate security preparations had been made for the sixth phase of elections covering 25 constituencies in East Midnapore and Coochbehar. While 16 seats are up for the grabs in East Midnapore, remaining nine seats are in Coochbehar, in North Bengal bordering Assam, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
About 58 lakh voters are expected to exercise their franchise in 6,774 polling stations and select their representatives from 170 candidates including 18 women. Among the voters are 9,776 first timers from the recently included Enclaves from Bangladesh. According to Commission sources one Asgar Ali of Madhya Mashaldanga will be the oldest first-time voter at the age of 104. He was born on January 1, 2013.
The Commission has deployed 361 companies of Central forces out of which 123 companies have been earmarked for Coochbehar and remaining for East Midnapore. The Commission has identified 714 vulnerable hamlets and 1,685 vulnurable voters. Preventive action has been taken against 900 trouble-mongers sources said.
Notwithstanding the Opposition complained against administrative complancancy particularly in East Midnapore a hardcore Trinamool bastion where the Central forces had not been taken to interior areas like Golalpur village notoriously known for political clashes.
In fact two persons were killed in a bomb attack outside the booth number 128 of Gopalpur Primary School during the last panchayat elections. “We have repeatedly requested the administration for CRPF patrolling in areas like Golopalpur and Deulbati but nothing has been done,” said a local CPI(M) leader.
The complaint filed by the left and the BJP with the ECI said that liquor and meat had been arranged for the CRPF personnel so that they can be neutralised during the elections. The OCs named in the complaint have been entrusted with the job by Adhikary the complaint said. A three-member BJP delegation also met the Commission officials on Wednesday requesting the poll panel to remove the erring officers.
The Thursday’s elections have a few notable persons like Suvendu Adhikary himself who is contesting from Nandigram agiasnt CPI’s Abdul Kabir Sheikh, State Ministers Sudarshan Ghoshdastidar from Mahishadal, Hiten Burman from Sitalkuchi in Coochbehar, Trinamool’s turncoat leader Udayan Guha — from Dinhata in Coochbehar — a veteran politician who last year left Forward Bloc to join Mamata Banerjee.