Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shishir Bajoria on Saturday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sought help from the party's district vice-president in Nandigram urging him to return to the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Bajoria also played an audio clip claiming the recorded conversation is between Mamata and the concerned local BJP leader.
"In the audiotape that I played now, the chief minister is seeking help from a BJP district (Nandigram) vice-president and requesting him to return to TMC. This shows that she has realised that TMC is losing the election," Bajoria told mediapersons here.
Nandigram will witness the most high-profile contest of West Bengal elections with Chief Minister Banerjee taking on her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined BJP in December last year. Adhikari had earlier said that BJP will defeat Banerjee by over 50,000 votes from Nandigram.
The polling in Nandigram is scheduled on April 1, in the second phase of the upcoming Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, polling for the first of the eight-phase assembly polls in West Bengal began at 7 am on Saturday with voters deciding the fate of 191 candidates in 30 constituencies.
Stray incidents of violence were reported from some areas that are voting in the state.
Polling was conducted in all constituencies in Purulia, Jhargram and segments of Bankura, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur that went to polls today to decide the electoral fate of 191 candidates, including 21 women.
( With inputs from ANI )
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