Opposition parties in West Bengal have complained of trouble in booths that were manned by the state police during the first phase of Lok Sabha elections held in Alipurduar and Cooch Behar on Thursday. Several leaders from Congress, BJP and Left Front approached the office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and submitted their complaints. However, the political parties gave credit to the central forces for managing a relatively peaceful poll in the state. Congress MP and State Coordination Committee chief Pradip Bhattacharya met the CEO on Thursday and alleged that the Trinamool Congress had indulged in hooliganism by not allowing their polling agents to enter inside the polling stations. Click here for more election news “Trouble was reported from booths, which were not being manned by the Central forces. This shows how important it is to deploy Central forces in all the booths in Bengal,” Bhattacharya said after meeting the CEO. He added that the voting process in the polling booths with Central forces have been peaceful and smooth, unlike those manned by the state police. Bhattacharya said their party control room had received a lot of complaints directly from the voters. “Be it Alipurduar or Cooch Behar, disturbances were reported from booths that were without Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). We knew this and had brought it to the EC’s notice in Delhi. We had also explained them the political history of Bengal. If they had wanted free and fair election, they would have deployed central forces in all booths. Today it was proved that Central reserve force is essential in Bengal,” said Bhattacharya. A delegation comprising state BJP vice-president Jay Prakash Majumdar and election committee member Sishir Bajoria also met the CEO in Kolkata and lodged a complaint. BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha said, “There should be some parameters on the basis of which sensitive booths are identified, like past records are considered. But unfortunately, it wasn’t followed. It must be checked who prepared the list of the sensitive booths and legal action should be taken against them.” Read | Cooch Behar: ‘Educated, without jobs… voted to change situation,’ say voters Meanwhile, a Left Front delegation, led by CPI(M) leader Rabin Deb, approached the CEO office after All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) candidate Gobinda Rai was attacked in Mathabhanga’s booth No. 238. “We also demand a repoll in all those booths, which were manned by the State Armed Forces in Cooch Behar. There are as many as 170 such booths,” AIFB leader Naren Chatterjee told reporters. The BJP also filed a complaint against TMC spokesperson Derek O’Brien and has demanded action against him over his tweet. The party alleged “intimidation” of the EC through his tweet. “Don’t smile with a solitary mini lollipop. The Nirvachan Commission has already become the Niraasha Commission. For many people it has become the Nikamma Commission. BJP destroys every institution,” read the tweet, a copy of which was attached with the complaint.
