CPM, Congress accuse EC of inaction in checking Trinamool ‘Rigging’

KOLKATA: The CPM and the Congress on Wednesday complained of “inaction” by the Election Commission ( EC) in tackling booth capturing, false voting and intimidation of voters by the Trinamool Congress in all the nine constituencies that went to polls in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal. The day saw an average voter turnout of 81.35%.

The nine seats that went to polls on Wednesday were Howrah, Hooghly, Arambagh, Serampore, Burdwan East, Burdwan-Durgapur , Bolpur, Birbhum and Uluberia. There were no allegations against the poll panel during the previous two phases held on April 17 and 24. This time, however , both the opposition parties alleged that the EC had failed to initiate appropriate measures to check the Trinamool from false voting, booth jamming and intimidating of the electors in all the four districts of Howrah, Hooghly, Burdwan and Birbhum under which the nine seats fall.

CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechuri also met the election commissioner in Delhi during the day to place his complaint against the poll panel. Left Front Chairman Biman Bose accused the Trinamool of “rampant booth capturing” and demanded repolling because of an “inactive” Election Commission. “We had appraised the commission about how voters are being intimidated.

Despite that, the central security forces were not utilised properly,” Bose told the media. Claiming that a large number of booths were captured across Bolpur, Arambagh , Hooghly and Howrah, he demanded repolling. “The EC will have to take a decision on repolling in the booths which have been captured. The EC will have to take stern action. Otherwise, the polls will turn into a farce,” he said.

CPM candidate from Bolpur Ramchandra Dome alleged that “miscreants patronised by the Trinamool Congress were preventing voters from expressing their democratic rights” and approached the poll panel seeking fresh polling in nearly 100 booths. In Burdwan, a voter who was reportedly warned not to come out and vote was thrashed in public glare after he exercised his franchise, said CPM’s Bardhaman-Durgapur candidate Saidul Haque. Congress candidate from Sreerampore Abdul Mannan sat on a demonstration, alleging malpractices by the Trinamool.

“Despite repeated complaints to the EC, no step has been taken. Trinamool workers have driven out all other polling agents from booths and have cast votes in favour of their candidate,” said Mannan. an FIR has been filed against Jharna Roy, Trinamool panchayat member from Arambagh, for allegedly casting the ballot of another voter, Arambagh Sub-Divisional Officer Arindam Roy said.

The special observer in West Bengal, Sudhir Kumar Rakesh, however, said most of the complaints lodged by the opposition were baseless and described Wednesday’s poll as peaceful and fair. Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Kumar Gupta claimed that there were adequate security measures across all the booths and polling was largely peaceful. “Either the central or state security forces have been used to provide security cover to all the polling booths. Polling has largely been peaceful in all the seats and wherever we have received complaints, prompt action has been taken,” he said.