ON WEDNESDAY, the penultimate day of filing nominations for the West Bengal panchayat elections, BJP candidate Arjun Sardar, 45, went 100 km seeking to file his papers, travelling from Nazat I gram panchayat, located in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district, to the Basirhat Sub-Divisional Officer’s office, to finally Kolkata. Only to return empty-handed.
The Sandeshkhali BDO office is just 15 minutes from his house in Nazat. However, Sardar said, he dared not go there, due to “terror tactics” by Trinamool Congress workers and widespread violence since the panchayat poll schedule was announced.
Sardar went in a group of around 40 BJP leaders from the area – led by state party chief and MP Sukanta Majumdar – who wanted to be allowed to file their nominations at the Basirhat SDO’s office.
Sardar, who hopes to be elected to the panchayat samiti in the Sandeshkhali block, said: “Trinamool Congress workers have unleashed a reign of terror in the area. Activists loyal to influential TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh have captured the local BDO office. Holding sticks and cricket wickets, TMC workers are driving Opposition candidates away from the BDO office. I was beaten up for daring to file my papers… Never have I seen such violence.”
Sardar said attacks took place in the presence of police personnel, who made no attempt to enforce Section 144 of the CrPC ordered by the State Election Commission (SEC), prohibiting assembly of more than five people.
BJP candidates from Nazat I and II blocks in North 24 Parganas district knocked on the doors of the Sub-Divisional Office at Basirhat to file their nomination papers, after not being able to do the same at the local BDO office. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
Priyanka Sadar, who wants to contest from one of the Nazat I gram panchayat seats, said: “Forget about going to the BDO office, we cannot even step outside our homes as TMC workers are roaming in motorbikes, threatening people against standing as Opposition candidates.”
Wiping her sweat as she stood outside the SDO office in Basirhat, Moumita Mondal Das, 33, said she hoped to be elected to the Nazat I gram panchayat too. “We came here hoping that we will be able to file our papers.”
The Basirhat SDO, however, refused to entertain their nominations. BJP state chief Majumdar said the officials seemed clueless what to do. “Therefore, we have decided to go to the SEC office in Kolkata,” he said.
That meant another 65 km. The candidates decided to make a quick halt for lunch. Majumdar led them to a local BJP office, where they had a meal of rice, dal, fish curry and salad.
After nomination papers were rejected by SDO Office in Basirhat, the BJP candidates boarded a bus and were taken to the state election office in Kolkata. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
A private bus was arranged to take the candidates to Kolkata. Majumdar escorted them, in his own convoy.
A BJP candidate said they had lost faith in the state administration. “If the BDO’s office is captured, where should we go? Instead of helping Opposition candidates, the police are helping TMC goons. Who will listen to us?” said Subrata Singh, 34, who wants to contest for a seat in the Nazat II gram panchayat.
After a two-hour long journey, the bus full of BJP candidates finally arrived at the SEC office in Kolkata. BJP candidates led by Majumdar protested outside its gates, demanding that their nominations be accepted. State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha finally decided to meet a delegation of them, while others squatted on the road outside, waiting to hear positive news regarding their nomination.
However, an hour later, they were told their nomination papers could not be accepted by the SEC.
Majumdar said they would move the Calcutta High Court on Thursday, demanding that their nominations be accepted. “The State Election Commissioner proved that he is nothing but a stooge of the ruling party. He said the SEC cannot accept nomination papers. He could not commit as to whether the same would be accepted at the SDO office tomorrow. He neither said yes or no,” the BJP leader said.
A BJP candidate said they had lost faith in the state administration. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
There was no official word from the SEC on its meeting with the BJP leaders. The commission has so far refused to extend the deadline for filing of nominations, which ends on Thursday, despite the High Court asking it to consider the same.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the SEC said it would approach the court against its order regarding deployment of Central forces.
Getting onto the bus to go back home, BJP candidate Madhuri Gayen, 44, said she feared a TMC backlash awaited them back home in Nazat. “We had hoped that at least here our papers would be accepted. Now we have to return home defeated… Hopefully, the court will at least do justice,” said Gayen.
TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh, accused by the BJP of organising attacks on its workers, could not be reached.
TMC leader Debangshu Bhattacharya questioned the BJP allegations, pointing out that the BJP has so far filed the most number of nominations for the panchayat polls. “Till Tuesday night, they had filed over 37,000 nominations across the state, while the TMC had filed 9,000. This clearly shows there is a level playing field for the Opposition. One or two isolated incidents can take place, but what they are saying is baseless,” Bhattacharya said.
BJP Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said the number of nominations filed was no criteria, as the maximum number of attacks since the process began had also been on BJP workers.
“Yes, there were a high number of nominations from our side in the first two days, but our workers received the most attacks… Then the SEC imposed Section 144 of the CrPC around nomination sites. At many places, our workers and candidates were stopped by the police from going to the BDO office. Using this opportunity, the TMC again unleashed terror on our workers. A large number of our workers could not file nominations,” he said.
BJP candidates from Nazat I and II blocks in North 24 Parganas district knock on the doors of Sub-Divisional Office at Basirhat to file their nomination papers, after not being able to do the same at local BDO office. (Express photo by Partha Paul) 
BJP candidates from Nazat I and II blocks in North 24 Parganas district knocked on the doors of the Sub-Divisional Office at Basirhat to file their nomination papers, after not being able to do the same at the local BDO office. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
After nomination papers were rejected by SDO Office in Basirhat, the BJP candidates boarded a bus and were taken to the state election office in Kolkata. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
A BJP candidate said they had lost faith in the state administration. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
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