News Analysis India

Tag: Bengal elections

  • Bengal polls: EC orders surveillance of TMC leader Anubrata Mondal till Friday 7 am

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: The Election Commission of India issued an instruction to keep Anubrata Mondal, the controversial Trinamool Congress leader, and the party’s Birbhum district president, under the surveillance of a deputy magistrate and central armed police force from 5 pm on Tuesday till 7 am on April 30.

    The Commission directed West Bengal’s chief electoral officer Sunil Gupta to keep the movement and election-related activities of Mondal under constant watch during the entire election period. Birbhum will go to the polls on April 29, the last phase.

    In the instruction, the Commission said, “In view of serious complaints and feedback received from various sources and as per the report of the DEO and SP Birbhum, the Commission has directed that Shri Anubrata Mondal, District President of AITC, Birbhum, should be kept under the strict surveillance of Executive Magistrate and CAPF, round the clock from 5 pm of 27th April 2021 till 7 am of 30th April 2021 for ensuring free and fair elections.”

    Mondal was censured by the Commission on April 12 for making objectionable comments against a woman BJP candidate and was asked to be careful in the future.

  • Turnout 75.02 per cent in seventh phase of Bengal elections, polling by and large peaceful

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: An estimated 75 per cent votes were cast on Monday in West Bengal in the seventh and penultimate phase of the assembly election, which was by and large peaceful, Chief Electoral Officer Aariz Aftab said.

    He said that 75.06 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm in 34 seats where polling was held and is expected to go up as the polling ended at 6.30 PM.

    “Polling was entirely peaceful today and there was no incident of violence anywhere in the state,” Aftab told reporters.

    “The seventh phase is the most quiet and incident-free phase. There was no bomb blast from anywhere during today’s polling, not even from sensitive places. We are extremely happy. The police and the central forces have done a commendable job,” ADG (Law and order) Jag Mohan said.

    Voting began at 7 am in 12,068 polling stations spread over nine assembly constituencies each in Murshidabad and Paschim Bardhaman districts, six each in Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda and four in Kolkata, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s home turf Bhabanipur.

    Malda, Murshidabad and Dakshin Dinajpur are minority dominated and the fight in these districts is between the Trinamool Congress and the Congress-ISF-Left alliance, except in a few pockets where the BJP has gained strength.

    Till 5 pm, the highest voters’ turnout of 80.30 per cent was registered in the Murshidabad constituency, and the lowest polling percentage of 59.91 per cent was recorded in the Kolkata Dakshin seat, the CEO added.

    Although the polling passed off more or less peacefully, there were a few incidents of scuffle between rival party workers in some parts of the state.

    A few such incidents were reported from Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman district where TMC candidate Sayoni Ghosh claimed that BJP activists tried to jam booths in the constituency.

    The allegation was dubbed as baseless by BJP candidate Agnimitra Paul, who asserted “Ghosh is making excuses sensing defeat”.

    There was a commotion in the Rash Behari constituency in the city after BJP candidate Lt Gen (retd) Subrata Saha’s agent Mohan Rao was accused of molesting women voters inside a polling booth, police said.

    The agent was detained after several women voters claimed he tried to drag them by holding their hands inside Bidya Bharati School, a police officer said.

    Rao rubbished the allegations and said no such incident had taken place.

    “We have received a complaint in this regard and a probe is underway,” the official said.

    The TMC candidate for the constituency, Debashis Kumar claimed that he was stopped from entering a booth in the area by central forces.

    The central forces, however, denied the allegations.

    In the Jamuria seat, Left Front candidate Aishe Ghosh alleged that agents of CPI-M were stopped from entering a booth by TMC workers, a charge which was denied by the ruling party.

    In Murshidabad, TMC district president and MP Abu Taher was heckled by party workers when he was touring the area.

    Taher, however, claimed that Congress activists had heckled him.

    The Congress dubbed the allegations as baseless.

    In Bhabanipur constituency TMC candidate Sovandeb Chattopadhyay claimed that he too was stopped from entering the booth in his area by central forces.

    The security forces denied the allegations and the office of the chief electoral officer intervened and sorted out the issue.

    Security was tight in view of the violence in the previous phases, particularly the death of five people at Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar, including four in CISF firing, in the fourth phase of polling on April 10, an EC official said.

    The ECI has ordered repoll on April 29 at booth No.

    126 of the Sitalkuchi seat where voting was cancelled after the four were killed in the firing.

    The poll panel has deployed at least 796 companies of central forces in the seventh phase to ensure free and fair voting, he said.

    Each company of central armed police force has around 100 personnel and officers.

    The EC also put in place measures to ensure strict adherence to health protocols during the election process, including wearing of face masks and maintaining social distancing to check the spread of COVID-19.

    The state registered its highest single-day spike of 15,889 COVID-19 cases on Sunday, while 57 more people succumbed to the virus.

    Election to two assembly constituencies Samserganj and Jangipur in Murshidabad district where polling was originally slated on Monday – has been adjourned following the death of two coronavirus-positive candidates.

    The EC has fixed May 16 as the date for polling in the two seats.

    The eighth and final phase of polling is scheduled for Thursday, April 29.

    Votes will be counted on Sunday, May 2.

  • ‘Holding election constitutional obligation, BJP followed all EC protocols’: Nadda

    Expressing confidence that the BJP will win the polls in Bengal with a thumping majority, he said that the election, this time, was #39;unprecedented and unique #39;.

  • Campaigning ends for the final phase of poll in 35 Bengal constituencies

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Campaigning for the eighth and final phase of polling for 35 assembly constituencies in West Bengal, scheduled to be held on April 29, ended at 6.30 pm on Monday.

    A total 84,77,728 voters — 43,55,835 male, 41,21,735 women and 158 of the third gender are eligible to decide the fate of 283 candidates in Thursday’s polling which will be held in six constituencies of Malda, 11 in Murshidabad, seven in Kolkata North and 11 in Birbhum, Election Commission sources said.

    The polling will be held between 7AM to 6.30 PM in 11,860 polling stations, they said.

    While 11 candidates each have been fielded by Trinamool Congress, BSP and BJP, CPI(M) is contesting in four seats, Congress in three, AIFB in 2 and RSP (1), the EC sources said.

    There are four Independent candidates in the fray as well, they said.

    The focus in this phase of polling will be on five assembly constituencies in Kolkata north — Beleghata, Jorsanko, Shyampukur, Maniktala, Kashipur-Belgachia — as neck and neck contest is expected between TMC heavyweights and BJP challengers.

    In Shyampukur seat, state minister for Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Shashi Panja is contesting against BJP’s Sandipan Biswas and AIFB’s Jiban Prakash Saha.

    In Beleghata, TMC has fielded Paresh Paul against BJP’s Kashinath Biswas and CPI-M’s Rajib Biswas.

    In Jorasnko, BJP has named Meena Devi Purohit against TMC’s Vivek Gupta and Congress’ Ajmal Khan.

    The TMC has named Atin Ghosh in Kashipur-Belgachia against BJP candidate Sibaji Sinha Roy and CPI(M)’s Pratip Dasgupta.

    A close contest is also expected in Maniktala assembly seat where state Consumer Affairs Minister TMC veteran Sadhan Pandey will fight former India footballer and BJP candidate Kalyan Chaubey and CPI(M)’s Rupa Bagchi.

    Political experts are sensing a tough fight in Bolpur assembly seat of Birbhum where the BJP has fielded Anirban Ganguly against state minister Chandranath Sinha.

    Keen contest is also expected in Nanoor, Murari and Labhpur.

    They are also expecting a similar contest between the ruling TMC and the opposition BJP and Samyukta Morcha (Cong- CPI-M-ISF alliance) candidates in Malda district and 11 seats in Murshidabad district.

    With the EC banning road shows and vehicle rallies in the state after the recent surge in COVID-19 cases across the country as well as in West Bengal, leaders of political parties chose to either campaign virtually or hold small rallies with a maximum of 500 participants.

    The EC has booked and show-caused several candidates for flouting the COVID-19 safety norms.

    TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and her party MP Abhishek Banerjee held virtual campaigns as did Prime Minister Narendra Modi from New Delhi.

    BJP president J P Nadda, it’s West Bengal head Dilip Ghosh, Bollywood superstar Mithun Chakraborty and other star campaigners like Smriti Irani held small rallies to campaign for the party’s candidates contesting in the eighth phase of polling.

    The BJP leaders attacked Banerjee and her nephew and other party leaders alleging that they were involved in the Saradha and Narada tapes scams.

    The saffron party also claimed that they were responsible for siphoning of funds allocated for Amphan cyclone and COVID-19 pandemic relief.

    The BJP leaders maintained that corruption and anarchy are prevalent in West Bengal and that the party will put an end to it after coming to power in the state.

    The TMC supremo hit out at the BJP for the rising prices of petrol, diesel and LPG and also held it responsible for the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

    She also alleged that the prime minister in order to capture West Bengal had forgotten about the entire country which is facing a crisis because of the COVID-19 second wave.

  • Bengal polls: Ex-India goalie Chaubey hopes to clinch it this time against Trinamool veteran Sadhan Pande

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Kalyan Choubey, the ex-India goalie who is in the poll fray in the city’s Maniktala seat in the ongoing West Bengal poll, feels his out of the box thinking and 24×7 work commitment to nation building will give him an edge over TMC heavyweight and state minister Sadhan Pande.

    Polling in the seat will take place in the eigth and last phase on April 29.

    44-year-old Chaubey has learnt his political lessons the hard way after having lost to TMC MP Mahua Moitra in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

    Chaubey says this time round he has come doubly prepared to contest against Pande, who is the two-time sitting MLA from Maniktala and a six-time Congress MLA from neighbouring Burtola seat.

    “People want a change in West Bengal and they will act wisely before casting their votes for someone (Pande) who is 70 plus, is no more active and undergoes regular dialysis. I pray for his long life,” Chaubey told PTI in an interview.

    He feels that given the situation, voters will definitely think about who can deliver for them.

    Their choice is between him, who is young and energetic and Pande who has been a sitting MLA for 40 years and has been in the government for the last 10 years in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet.

    “When I talk to people, I feel that they need a change. I also feel that this time round I’ve got an image,” Chaubey said.

    The former soccer player claimed that despite his loss in Krishnanagar, he is committed to the voters of his former constituency and has facilitated in providing jobs for 18 unemployed youths in a major IT services company by organising a special 100-hour CSR programme.

    “They were happy and never expected such an initiative from someone who had lost the (Lok Sabha) poll fight.

    You have to think out of the box if you wish to usher in a change,” he said.

    Chaubey blamed TMC for rigging during the parliamentary polls and claims that he had himself faced it when a polling officer had reportedly gone missing in Krishnagar.

    “Their (TMC’s) rigging machinery is systematic. They are a master at it. The polling officer had later told me it was a gameplan to rig the EVMs,” he said.

    Chaubey claimed that there is widespread violence on a regular basis in Maniktala constituency between the rival TMC and Congress.

    “You only see such things when a political change is in the horizon . The political scenario in West Bengal has changed so much now,” he said.

    The former soccer player said he is more experienced as a political worker now and is regularly involved in party work.

    “I can feel the law and order crisis in West bengal as almost everyday I’m out for party work till about 2am,” Chaubey asserted.

    Asked, he said providing basic amenities like toilets is his main priority in Mankitala.

    There are 2.11 lakh voters in Maniktala constituency, out of whom 1.35 lakh live in slums and do not have access to basic amenities like washrooms which force women to bathe in the open, he said.

    “But at the same time sports is in my blood and that’s my identity. Definitely I will have a role to play in the Rs 2000 crore sports budget and will look to give it back to sports in the best possible way,” said Chaubey, who represented India in the early 2000s including in the SAFF Championships.

    He said the youth of today have no option to join sports due to the proliferation of illegal constructions.

    “Giving them infrastructure and motivating them to join sports will be in my agenda,” Chaubey who played for Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Salgaocar and JCT Mills, said.

    Competing in the Olympics or international events like the SAFF games evokes pride for the country among the participants.

    As he can no more go back to the field, “this is the perfect platform to serve the nation in ‘Rashtra Nirman’ – that’s our (BJP) ideology,” he said.

  • ‘Mamata government denied people central schemes, misappropriated Rs 5,000 crore’: BJP

    BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya also claimed that assets of a minister in the TMC government have increased exponentially since 2006.

  • ‘Baseless, false and misleading’: EC trashes Mamata’s allegations of poll body planning arrests against Trinamool workers

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A day after Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee alleged there were plans to detain her party workers ahead of voting in West Bengal at the instance of poll observers, the Election Commission said no instructions have been issued by any of its officers or observers to act against workers of any political party.

    In a statement, the Commission said a section of the media has reported about “allegations” made the West Bengal Chief Minister that instructions have been given by some ECI officers and observers to arrest “TMC goons”.

    “Such statements supposedly attributed to ECI officers and observers are absolutely baseless, false and misleading. No such instructions have been given by any observer, Chief Electoral Officer or officer of the Commission to act against workers of any party(ies),” the statement said.

    Banerjee had on Saturday alleged that she has come to know that three special observers of the Election Commission have “ordered police officers to detain TMC workers” ahead of the voting exercise, and said that she would move the Supreme Court against this “conspiracy”.

    Banerjee has often accused the Commission of being partisan, a charge rejected by the poll panel.

    While the seventh phase of poll in the state will take place on Monday, the eighth and last phase is on April 29.

    Referring to the TMC leader’s plan to move the court, the EC statement said no court case has so far been reported to the CEO, West Bengal’s office or the Commission “where any instance of preventive action against a non-criminal has come to the notice”.

    “Misleading narratives apart, leave alone any court case, no specific instance of illegal preventive action against any worker of party has been reported till April 25. Conduct of free, fair, intimidation free and violence free election requires close monitoring of all miscreants and history-sheeters who have the potential to vitiate the polls.”

    “Preventive actions under relevant provisions of CrPC, IPC are taken by all law-enforcing agencies to ensure they are prevented from creating any mischief,” the statement said.

    There are standing instructions to law-enforcement agencies of all poll-going states to ensure compilation of list of miscreants based on criminal history, including involvement in election related-crime in the past, it said.

    Action is taken and must be taken against such miscreants who have potential of scaring genuine voters in any manner, the poll panel said.

    District election officers, commissioners of police, SPs, observers, chief electoral officer of the poll-going state and the Commission review and ensure that such lists are compiled timely and acted upon in an impartial manner, the statement noted.

    “Commission or observers, for that matter, convey instructions in such matters through Chief Electoral officer,” it observed.

    The TMC supremo, while addressing party members at an auditorium in Bolpur, Birbhum district, had said she had chanced upon WhatsApp conversations of the special observers.

    “Enough is enough. I don’t have any issue if they (EC observers) work for free and fair elections but they have been working only to help the BJP. They want to finish off Trinamool,” the TMC boss had alleged.

    “These officials are giving orders to detain our men the night before polls and keep them in custody till the next day. I have seen their WhatsApp conversations; they were given to me by a reporter. And it must have originally come from BJP men,” she said, showing the transcript of a purported chat between the special observers and top officials, including district magistrates and police superintendents.

    Expressing outrage over the fact that an EC special observer has “named active TMC workers in the chat and branded them as trouble-mongers”, Banerjee claimed that the official has also “asked the police to arrest all of them so that they cannot be seen anywhere during the polling exercise”.

    “In the chat, the special police observer described TMC activists as ‘goons’ who are not allowing BJP agents to carry out their work. Can the EC use such epithet against a party?” the TMC supremo said.

  • Stray violence marks sixth phase of Bengal polls; 37.27 per cent turnout recorded till 11 am

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Stray incidents of violence were on Thursday reported from various parts of Bengal where voting is underway in the sixth phase of assembly elections, but the overall poll situation was largely peaceful with 37.27 per cent turnout recorded till 11 am, an EC official said.

    Elections, which began at 7 am, are being held in 43 assembly seats — 17 in North 24 Parganas district, nine each in Nadia and Uttar Dinajpur, and eight in Purba Bardhaman.

    Long queues were seen outside most of the polling booths with security personnel asking everyone to adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols, amid the surge in infections everywhere, the official said.

    In Uttar Dinajpur’s Chopra area, shots were reportedly fired after clashes broke out between activists of the TMC and the BJP over allegations of heckling by agents of a polling booth.

    Both the parties denied having used any firearm and blamed the opposition for the violence.

    The office of the CEO has sought a report on the incident from the local administration.

    In Raiganj, sources in the TMC said one of the ruling party activists sustained serious injuries after he was allegedly stabbed by BJP workers.

    The saffron party, however, denied the allegations.

    Sporadic violence was also reported from Bijpur constituency in North 24 Parganas, where TMC and BJP supporters clashed with each other outside polling booths.

    Both the parties accused each other of trying to rig votes.

    Two supporters of the TMC and three of the BJP were reportedly injured in the clashes.

    A huge contingent of security forces was rushed to the troubled areas to control the situation.

    In the Halisahar area of Naihati constituency, the saffron party alleged that bombs were hurled at the residence of a local BJP leader.

    His mother and younger brother are known to have suffered injuries.

    The TMC and the BJP traded charges against each other.

    Film director-turned-TMC candidate Raj Chakraborty was gheraoed in Barrackpore constituency by BJP supporters, who accused him of influencing voters.

    Chakraborty denied the allegations.

    In Amdanga constituency, country-made crude bombs were recovered by police personnel.

    Over 1.03 crore voters are set to decide the political fate of 306 candidates in this phase.

    As many as 1,071 companies of central forces have been deployed to ensure free and fair polling, officials said.

    The voting exercise is underway in 14,480 polling stations of the 43 assembly segments.

  • Bengal Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury tests positive for COVID, to campaign virtually

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday said he has tested positive for COVID-19 and requested everyone who came in contact with him in the last seven days to comply with the coronavirus protocols.

    Chowdhury, who is one of the key campaigners of the Congress-ISF-Left alliance in the ongoing assembly elections, said he would continue to campaign through virtual platforms.

    “I have been tested Covid positive, requesting all who came in contact with me for last 7 days must comply with Covid protocols, I will be continuing my campaign through virtual platform, I do suggest and request all to take utmost care to keep away COVID from your lives,” the leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha said on Twitter.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished the Congress leader a speedy recovery from the coronavirus infection.

    “Praying for the well-being and swift recovery of Adhir Da,” PM Modi tweeted.

  • Follow COVID protocols while campaigning in Bengal or face action: EC to parties

    The chief secretary of the state, the CEO and all district election officers are also being directed to scrupulously follow the high court #39;s directions.