Once Bengal witnessed bloody civic polls, once again the State Election Commission failed to conduct free and fair elections, earning a quick appellation from the opposition outfits which called it an “oppressive in the hands of the Mamata Banerjee Government.”
In what can stand out as a point of reference for the national Election Commission for future elections municipal polls were marred by rampant violence and booth capturing in Haldia, Durgapur, Nalhati, Coopers’ Camp and other places with hundreds of bikers literally invading the areas where civic polls were being conducted.
About half-a-dozen of policemen were injured and a rifle was snatched, several bikes were torched and some EVMs looted in Durgapur, and Nalhati, sources said.
At Haldia in East Mindapore a proclaimed Trinamool Congress bastion the opposition withdrew their candidates by late noon and in Durgapur the Congress did the same complaining rampant violence and booth capturing by the ruling outfit.
Incidentally in all these places the left-Congress alliance had won notwithstanding violence in the 2016 State elections.
The TMC however denied such reports with State Minister Arup Biswas claiming “it has been a long term practice of the losing parties to lay blame at our doors. But the people have rejected them and voted in favour of Mamata Banerjee’s developmental programmes.”
State Opposition leader and Congress veteran Abdul Mannan demanded immediate removal of AK Singh while BJP’s Dilip Ghosh demanded reelection at Haldia, Panshkura and Durgapur. CPI(M)’s Md Salim also said “we want these farce of an elections to be cancelled.”