The Trinamool Congress today alleged that the Raj Bhavan was working "like a wing of a political party" regarding allegations that the ruling party's workers were preventing opposition candidates from filing nominations for next month's panchayat polls in West Bengal.
However, Governor K N Tripathi told PTI, "The governor is the guardian of the people of the state and he can take note of things happening in the state."
Demanding that the State Election Commission (SEC) be allowed to work independently, TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said, "The way the Raj Bhavan is functioning unilaterally on one-sided information without taking into account the views of others, it seems as if it is working as the wing of a political party."
Accusing the saffron party of giving a one-sided picture of the happenings in the state to the governor, he said, "We (TMC) will also seek to meet the governor, possibly tomorrow itself and tell him that those indulging in violence and rioting are claiming innocence and blaming others."
Slamming the opposition for raising a hue and cry, he said "As if previous panchayat elections were held in a very clean manner."