BJP to move Election Commission against electoral malpractices in West Bengal

KOLKATA: Accusing the West Bengal government of "killing democracy" in the recent municipal elections, the BJP has decided to move the Election Commission of India complaining against the malpractices during the polls.

"Democracy has been raped on October 3 during the polls. The spirit of democracy was killed on October 6, when the SEC resigned from the post. It is a farce and now they are mocking the democratic norms with this re-poll," BJP national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh told reporters.

"We have decided that we will move the Election Commission and complain against the malpractices. We want the EC to know the dirty tactics that TMC uses to win polls, so that EC is aware of what's going on in Bengal," Singh said.

The TMC leadership, however, said it was the opposition parties that created violence on the day of polls.

"It was the opposition parties that had created violence on the day of polls. We are against it. And if the opposition is correct that we had created violence on the day of polls, then how come the opposition had won so many seats in Siliguri," a senior TMC leader said.

From October 11, the BJP will launch an agitation programme throughout the state, to sensitize the people about the misrule of TMC in Bengal, he said.