Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Suvendhu Adhikari on Sunday held a sit-in protest at the state election commissioner’s office, demanding re-election in all wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, NDTV reported. He has alleged that Sunday’s polling was rigged.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections witnessed sporadic violence. Three people were injured after bombs were hurled at a polling station. The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) alleged that the Trinamool Congress leaders were forcibly stopping booth agents from entering polling centres in several wards.
On Sunday evening, Adhikari led a BJP delegation to meet West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar and requested him to declare the municipal polls as null and void in view of the violence, rigging and Kolkata Police acting at the behest of the ruling party, NDTV reported.
The governor assured the delegation that he was concerned about the violence and that he would take all the measures to mitigate it from his end. “He told the delegation that governance of Mamata Banerjee has to conform to rule of law,” the governor’s office said.
The members of BJP and CPI(M) also held a sit-in protest outside Burtolla Police Station in North Kolkata, PTI reported. Here, they shouted slogans against Banerjee.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress has denied the charges of rigging and inciting violence.
“The Opposition parties have ganged up to discredit the Trinamool Congress and the administration,” said TMC Secretary General Partha Chatterjee. “They have no agenda, have lost all contact with people, and are sure about the defeat in the polls.”
Senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim said there was no violence in the city, India Today reported.
Chief Minister Banerjee, said that she was happy with the voter turnout for the polls. In response to BJP’s allegations of poll rigging, she said that if “someone does drama then one cannot help it”.
In the run-up to the polls, the BJP had filed a petition in the Supreme Court demanding that Central Armed Police Force personnel be deployed during the elections. The Supreme Court, however, had refused to entertain the plea and told the party to approach the Calcutta High Court.
The BJP had also filed a petition to stay the civic body polls. However, on Wednesday, the Calcutta High Court had refused to stop the elections.
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