State BJP appeals for central forces before municipal election

Accusing West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress of resorting to violence against their party men, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday said they have urged the election commission to deploy the central forces during the upcoming municipal election in Bengal on May 14.

"The Trinamool Congress has resorted to extreme violence before the election. Some miscreants backed by that party fired nearly 16 gunshots near the house of one of our party leaders in North Dinajpur district's Raiganj. Bullet cartridges can still be found at his house premises," Ghosh alleged.

"We have already appealed to the Election Commission to deploy the central forces in the areas where the polls will be held. Our party leaders have gone to the EC office in Kolkata today. The central force should conduct route marches in the election-bound areas to boost the confidence of voters," he said.

Mocking BJP's demand, Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee claimed that the BJP is crying foul as they are unable to arrange sufficient workers to man the booths during the polls.

"Earlier he claimed that their party would arrange for a 20 member team (Pratirodh Vahini) in every booth, but now he has realised that they wont be able to assemble even 200 people throughout the state. Hence, they are demanding for the central forces," Chatterjee retorted.

"May be later they would say that these voters should be rejected and new voters should be brought in," he added.

The state education minister also accused the state BJP of trying out "various experimental strategies" to get a foothold in Bengal and said their attempts would go in vein.

"They tried to use religion as a political weapon and later conducted armed rallies to intimidate the people but none of their strategies worked. They are taking up "various experimental strategies" to sustain in Bengal politics but nothing would work out," Chatterjee said.

Seven municipalities in the state including four in the Northern Bengal hills would go to the hustings on May 14.

--IANS

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