WB polls: TMC again writes to EC over 'harbouring of criminals' by Suvendu Adhikari, seeks intervention

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer at Kolkata requesting the Election Commission's intervention to apprehend outsider criminals allegedly harboured by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari.

In the letter, TMC said that locally, police have been informed of this, however, no steps have been taken yet.

"We have repeatedly intimated the Election Commission about such grave situation vide our letters dated March 22, March 26 and March 29, but to no avail. We call upon you to immediately intervene and direct necessary steps to be taken by police under your supervision to forthwith apprehend all the outside criminals hired and harboured by Suvendu Adhikari at various locations," the letter read.

Meanwhile, a BJP delegation earlier on Wednesday submitted a petition to the Chief Electoral Officer in Kolkata seeking immediate intervention of the EC to stop the alleged infiltration of illegitimate voters of other nationalities and constituencies in Nandigram via Ferry ghat. The party also alleged that the officers are colluding as agents of TMC. The representation also demanded immediate action and prohibition on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's for allegedly campaigning after the cut-off time and violating the code of conduct.

Nandigram will witness the most high-profile contest in the second phase of the state assembly elections to be held on April 1 with the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee taking on her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined the BJP in December last year.Mamata is contesting from Nandigram this time and not contesting from her home turf Bhabpur seat, making this election more interesting.

The Left Front has fielded Minakshi Mukherjee, the state president of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) from Nandigram against Mamata and Adhikari.

In phase-II, 30 Assembly constituencies from the districts of Bankura, South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur will go to polls to decide the fate of 171 candidates including 19 women.

With Nandigram going to the polls in the second phase of elections in West Bengal, the administration has imposed Section 144 as a precautionary measure in order to avoid any untoward incident during the voting process.

The BJP and TMC are at loggerheads in the poll-bound West Bengal. Striving to topple the ruling TMC government, top BJP leadership including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and party president JP Nadda has been conducting rallies across the states.

The first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections concluded with an estimated 79.79 per cent voter turnout.

The polling for 31 seats in the third phase of the 294-member state assembly will be held on April 6. The elections for 44 seats will be held in the fourth phase on April 10.

Further, in the fifth phase on April 17, 45 seats will go to the polls. The sixth phase is scheduled for April 22 when elections for 43 seats will be done. In the seventh phase on April 26, polling will be held for 36 seats. Finally, the eighth phase is scheduled for April 29 when 35 seats will go for polling.

The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

( With inputs from ANI )