CPM leader Sitaram Yechury addressing a press conference on Sunday
Reacting to the violence in West Bengal on the eve of the final phase of polling, the Communist Party of India on Sunday sought flag marches by central forces and enhanced security in the state.
"Given the partisan nature of the state administrative apparatus, it is absolutely necessary for a central officer who must oversee law and order situation and ensure that proper conditions are created for people to vote fearlessly.
"This is the constitutional mandate of EC and we want them to ensure that this right provided by the Constitution is not discriminatory between the high and mighty and the ordinary and marginalised," CPM Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said while addressing a press conference on Sunday.
Mr Yechury alleged that the largescale violence was unleashed by the ruling Trinamool Congress and complaints in this regard were being lodged by other political parties.
Mr Yechury, who along with other CPM leader met the Chief Election Commission and submitted a memorandum, also demanded the appointment of special observers on the lines of those for Varanasi to ensure a free and fair poll.
Alleging that the central paramilitary forces present in West Bengal were not being deployed properly, he sought for flag marches to instill confidence among people.
"The actual deployment which has to be done by the state government...there is a deficit in the manner these forces are utilised. We want EC to ensure that in every constituency, there are these route marches so that confidence can be instilled amongst people," he said.
Mr Yechury also observed that Monday's polls were to be held in 17 of the 42 constituencies in the state, the most in any phase, and these constituencies are mainly concentrated in densely populated areas of Kolkata, greater Kolkata and nearby districts.
Noting that all the attention seemed to be diverted towards Varanasi, Mr Yechury said that although those problems need to be addressed, it did not mean that other issues were to be neglected by the Election Commission.
"Like you have appointed a special observer for Varanasi, similar steps will have to be taken for these 17 constituencies in West Bengal which go to vote tomorrow," he said.
Mr Yechury also drew the commission's attention to a CPM candidate who was in hospital with serious injuries after being attacked.
"In Belghoria, there have been widespread attacks where our party leaders have been beaten up and hospitalised. The law and order administration is not doing its job. Five people were arrested for their actions in Belghoria but they are out on bail and continuing with their activities," he said.
The CPM has also demanded that all listed history-sheeters be immediately taken into preventive custody in order to ensure that they don't move about freely intimidating and threatening voters and polling officials.
He said that polling agents of Opposition parties were being threatened, and at places there were announcements through public address systems saying that no polling agent other than the Trinamool Congress would be allowed in the polling booths.
"This is the information we have received. So we have orally communicated to the EC. This is totally unprecedented.
"You cannot have a situation where 24 hours before the election or evening before the polling, you can publicly announce, and people who indulge in this go scot free," he said.
Mr Yechury also said that out of 40,000 state government employees engaged in election duty, only 12,000 have been issued postal ballot or election duty certificate.
"We request that this anomaly be immediately corrected and the personnel deputed to discharge election duties are not deprived of their democratic right to vote," he said.
Mr Yechury said that the CEC has assured his party that action will be taken. He said that in the last two phases in West Bengal, large scale complaints were received but nothing substantial has been done.
"We told EC that their record cannot be allowed to go with a blemish... that it has not taken proper action in West Bengal... we hope EC will rise to the occasion," he said.
On a question about alliances, the CPM leader said that consultations with other parties go on all the time. The real consultation will begin only when the polling process is over and they will pick up momentum when the counting completes, he said.