BJP wants central forces for WB Assembly elections next year

KOLKATA: Accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal for creating an environment of terror and violence in the state, the BJP today said it will ask the CEC to deploy central force during next year's Assembly elections without which voting will be "impossible."

"We will ask the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to deploy central force here during next year's Assembly elections... Without which polling in West Bengal will be next to impossible," party vice-president Badsha Alam said.

Incidentally, CEC Nasim Zaidi would meet all political parties and other senior government officials besides, the DGP and all SPs in West Bengal, on December 10.

Alam along with other BJP leaders including Sushanta Ranjan Pal, Tapas Chatterjee, Jay Prakash Majumdar, Bhaskar Bhattacharya, Jyotsna Banerjee and secretary Deepa Biswas today met Governor K N Tripathi requesting him to look into the alleged "lawlessness" in the state.

On December 6, some BJP leaders, including Jay Prakash Majumdar, were injured at an attack allegedly by TMC supporters in Cooch Behar on their way to Pundibari where a TMC supporter was shot dead on November 29.

"Tripathi has promised that he will look into the matter and use his powers as the Governor of the state and inform the administration," Alam said.

Alleging that the TMC supporters have destroyed around 70 to 80 houses in Cooch Behar, Alam said they would ask a central team of the party to visit the state to look into the situation in West Bengal.