West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee leaves on five-day Bhutan visit

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has left for a five-day visit to Bhutan where she will hold talks with leaders of that country and attend a business conclave.

Banerjee is leading a 15-member delegation that comprises the state's housing minister Arup Biswas, chief secretary Sanjay Mitra, transport secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay and some industrialists.

Banerjee has left Kolkata at a time when her party, Trinamool Congress, is protesting against the state election commission for its decision to defer counting of votes for Bidhannagar and Asansol municipal corporations, elections for which were held on Saturday. Kolkata mayor and Trinamool Congress leader Sovan Chatterjee is holding a protest demonstration outside the state election commission's office in the city since Monday morning.

The commission had on Sunday postponed the counting, which was due to be taken up on October 7. The decision followed complaints from the opposition CPIM and BJP alleging malpractices like booth jamming, intimidation of voters and assault on electors by supporters and sympathizers of the Trinamool Congress. More than 20 TV and newspaper journalists were also assaulted during the polls.

The Trinamool Congress has denied any wrongdoing and blamed the opposition parties, mainly CPIM, for the violence during the polls.

West Bengal Youth Congress president Arindam Bhattacharjee is also holding a demonstration in front of the election commission’s office, demanding cancellation of elections to Bidhanhar and Asansol municipal corporations. “We demand fresh elections in both the municipal corporations and at Bally municipality as Trinamool Congress has reduced Saturday's polls to a farce. Lakhs of genuine electors could not cast their votes due to threats and intimidation by hooligans backed by the ruling party,” Bhattacharjee told ET on Monday.

It is learnt that before leaving for Bhutan, Benerjee instructed her party leaders to oppose the state election commission's decision to postpone the counting of votes.

In Bhutan, the West Bengal chief minister is due to hold meetings with Prime Minister Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay and Minister of Economic Affairs Lyonpo Norbu Wangchuk. She is also due to meet the Bhutan king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on October 6.