Kolkata, April 1 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday issued a strong note of caution, saying that under no circumstances would it tolerate hooliganism in front of the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal.
At the same time, the ECI has specifically, officially, and categorically held Trinamool Congress responsible for such hooliganism in front of the CEO’s office.
Such a strong reaction from the Commission has come amid two developments starting from Tuesday night and continuing till Wednesday morning -- first, the clashes between Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists in front of the CEO’s office in central Kolkata. The second was the night-long protest demonstration by Trinamool Congress activists, accusing the ECI and the CEO’s office of playing hand-in-glove with the BJP and enlisting voters from other states in the voters’ list of poll-bound West Bengal.
On Wednesday morning, the office of the CEO issued a strongly worded social media statement, which not only held Trinamool Congress responsible for the hooliganism but also reminded that this will not prevent the Commission from ensuring free and fair polls in the two-phase Assembly polls in the state later this month.
“Councillor Beleghata, with some hooligans, gheraoed the office of the CEO and shouted slogans at the dead of night. Such anti-social activities will not be tolerated, and the law will take its own course. ECI will leave no stone unturned to ensure free and fair Assembly elections,” the statement read.
An insider from the CEO’s office pointed out that despite prohibitory orders in force in front of the CEO’s office barring a large gathering of people there, ruling party activists conducted a night-long demonstration.
On Tuesday night, the CEO of West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, had a long meeting with the newly appointed Commissioner of Kolkata Police, Ajay Nand, regarding ensuring security in front of the CEO’s office. Later, the CEO also told the media that such behaviour in front of the office would not be tolerated.
Earlier, on Tuesday evening, Agarwal rubbished allegations raised by Trinamool Congress and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that voters from other states were being included in the state’s electoral roll through mass submission of Form-6 at the CEO’s office.
His reactions came just hours after information surfaced that the Chief Minister had written a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar earlier in the day.
The letter alleged that BJP agents had been caught submitting thousands of fraudulent Form-6 applications at the CEO’s office to infiltrate the Bengal voter list with outsiders.
--IANS
src/dpb