The most high-profile electoral battle being fought in West Bengal's Nandigram is seeing two different strategies between rivals Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her protege-turned-foe Suvendu Adhikari.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate has been on the road since 6:30 am, his rival candidate stayed put at her rented accommodation in the constituency till 1 pm, as she had gone to Boyal.
Responding to 's query about the Chief Minister leaving just minutes before Adhikari reached his office in Nandigram, few metres away from her rented accommodation, Adhikari commented, "Now, 70 per cent of the polls are over. People have lined up to poll since 5 am. Our grip on the booths is tight and on those booths almost 90 per cent of voting will be done."
"If the candidate has gone out at 2 pm to look around...'Jai Shree Ram ka dar' (it's fear of Jai Shree Ram) Last campaign mein itna hai Shree Ram hua (in the last leg of the campaign, there were too many chants of Jai Shree Ram)," stated Suvendu while stopping for a lunch break.
While Adhikari toured the polling booths in block 1 of Nandigram, some are pocket boroughs of Trinamool Congress (TMC), there were signs of resistance seen against the BJP candidate but only when he left.
The brunt was borne by the media vehicles that were following the high-profile candidate. Suvendu Adhikari alleged that this was an attack by a particular community that has been instigated by TMC. "Where there are devotees of Maa Kali, Maa Durga there is peace," said the BJP leader.
While doing rounds, Suvendu Adhikari took details of poll booths and if any incident was reported with them.
"I am keeping a tight vigil. In Shamsabad gram panchayat, they tried to do proxy voting. TMC doesn't have agents in 120 booths. We don't have agents in 20 booths. In polling stations number 226, 227, TMC workers were apprehended by central police," said Suvendu Adhikari.
He also alleged that while the Supreme Court has given relaxation to election agent Sheikh Sufian, there are others who have non-bailable warrants against them and yet they were acting as poll agents. He maintained that these attacks are a symbol of desperation on part of the TMC and that this time there is strong competition in Nandigram.
"This is a desperate attitude due to fear of losing. There was no opposition earlier, I was in that party. Now there is strong competition and that is why TMC is desperate. TMC is provoking people from a particular community," he said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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