'BJP strategy to defame Bengal': TMC's Shashi Panja alleges poll-day provocation after EC orders repoll

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 1 : Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shashi Panja on Friday alleged that the BJP had tried to "provoke" other parties on polling day to trigger large-scale repolling and "defame Bengal," after the Election Commission ordered repolling in 15 booths in South 24 Parganas on Saturday.

Addressing the media after meeting the Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Panja said, "We are meeting with the Additional Chief Electoral Officer. Strong room CCTVs are not working properly in some places. So, we demand that the EC take proper care of this. Why is the process not fully transparent?"

Panja said, "The EC thinks that a repoll was warranted out there. That is why, just in the press conference, we replied that this was basically the strategy of the BJP that on the day of the poll, first phase or the second phase, they would provoke the other political parties. There were incidents where they would incite some kind of trouble so that there could be a massive repoll in many more booths. We did not react to their provocation...This was the strategy of the BJP. They are not prepared, they are not winning. They tried this devious strategy that let's have a repoll in many places and defame Bengal..."

On the Trinamool Congress approaching the Supreme Court against a Calcutta High Court order rejecting its plea challenging the deployment of only Central government and PSU employees as supervisors for vote counting, Panja said the matter was being misinterpreted.

"This is not a new order, this is a pre-existing order. This has been circulated again. We have taken cognisance of the order, the counting agents will be in place. There is nothing more to that," she added.

Earlier today, West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar on Friday sharply criticised the Election Commission (EC), accusing the polling body of working with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that this has led to a "lack of faith" in the EC.

Speaking amid the strong room row, Sarkar claimed, "The connivance between the Election Commission and the BJP is clear. Everyone knows this. This is not fair. In fact, the Election Commission has destroyed trust in the election process. Therefore, people no longer have any faith in the Election Commission."Sarkar also dismissed the exit polls, labelling them as a tool for "propaganda" designed to benefit the BJP, urging people to wait for official results on May 4."The BJP has taken advantage of the exit polls. All exit polls are saying that the BJP is winning... This propaganda is helping the BJP... According to me, the voters in Bengal have a lot of courage; they have a lot of capability to make decisions. All political parties should wait for the final results," he said.

On the other side, BJP candidate from Siliguri assembly constituency Shankar Ghosh on Friday accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of creating a "narrative" in view of an impending defeat in the polls.

"I think the CM is trying to make some kind of narrative. The allegations from TMC show that they are scared of the election defeat. So, they are only trying to mislead the people... I think this kind of statement from the state's ruling party is quite natural, as everybody knows that TMC is going to be removed from power by the people...I think this kind of false allegation will not be able to save their faces, and the Election Commission is doing their best to protect everything," he told ANI.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday constituted a special bench to hear the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) plea tomorrow against the Calcutta High Court's rejection of its plea that challenged the deployment of only Central government and PSU (Public Sector Undertaking) employees as supervisors for vote counting in the West Bengal assembly elections.

A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi to hear the plea at 10:30 AM tomorrow.

TMC, in its plea, urged the Supreme Court to take up the matter urgently tomorrow, stating that vote counting in the poll-bound state is set to begin on Monday morning, and that any delay in hearing the plea would render it infructuous.

TMC approached the Supreme Court after the Calcutta High Court rejected their plea, upholding the validity of the decision requiring Central Govt/PSU employees to count as supervisors/assistants.

HC, in its observations, held that such appointments are within ECI's discretion and not illegal. The Court rejected apprehension that Central Govt. staff would act under political influence. Allegations were mere apprehensions without evidence.

Any grievance can be raised via an election petition (Section 100, RP Act, 1951), the court observed.

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