A day after Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged an attack in which she suffered injuries to her leg and neck, the BJP said it would complain to the Election Commission that she's "spreading lies about attack for politics".
In the latest twist in the Bengal election campaign, a delegation of BJP leaders will meet Election Commission officials in Kolkata to complain against the Chief Minister's accusation and seek an investigation.
A delegation of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress also plans to meet Election Commission officers to file their own complaint about the alleged attack.
Mamata Banerjee, 66, said last evening she was attacked while she was campaigning in Nandigam after filing her nomination papers for the Bengal election.
She alleged that she was pushed by four or five people against her car and had the door shut on her at a time when there were no police personnel around her. Looking pale, in pain, and pointing to her leg, she said, "See how it is swelling up".
Asked if it was a planned attack, she said, "Of course it is a conspiracy... there were no policemen around me". She was taken to a hospital in Kolkata, 130 km away, after the incident.
This morning, Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee, a Trinamool Congress MP, shared an image of her in hospital with a message targeting the BJP. "BJP brace yourselves to see the power of people of BENGAL on Sunday, May 2nd. Get ready," he tweeted.
The BJP, which had blamed the Trinamool Congress after its chief JP Nadda's convoy was attacked in December, accused the Chief Minister of pulling a stunt in sheer desperation after realising she could lose the election.
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The Court passed the order while hearing the matter of rejection of the nomination of TMC candidate from Joypur assembly.
Earlier today, the Election Commission rejected the nomination of Mr Kumar from the Joypur assembly seat.
BJP candidate Narhari Mahato is also in the fray in Joypur. She is a former Forward Bloc MP who recently joined the BJP.
The Trinamool Congress said the Election Commission could not shun responsibility as it is in charge of law and order situation in the poll-bound West Bengal. It also alleged a "deep-rooted conspiracy to take the life" their chief and linked it to the abrupt removal of the Bengal police chief a day before by the Election Commission.
Ms Banerjee, who is contesting the Nandigram assembly constituency in Purba Medinipur district, doesn't own any vehicle or property, according to her self-sworn affidavit filed before the Election Commission of India.
The 66-year-old leader's total movable assets are worth Rs 16.72 lakh.
Such assets owned by her were worth Rs 30.45 lakh before the assembly election in 2016. Her income for the year 2019-20 was Rs 10,34,370.
Cash in hand with the chief minister is Rs 69,255, while she has a total bank balance of Rs 13.53 lakh which includes Rs 1.51 lakh in her election expenditure account.
AIADMK workers protested against giving away the Egmore segment in Chennai to ally Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, while DMK cadres raised slogans against parting with the Ponneri constituency to Congress.
The ruling party men also protested against allocation of Poonamalle and Gummidipoondi constituencies to ally PMK.
Upset over omission of Labour Minister Nilofer Kafeel's name in the AIADMK list so far, her supporters in Vaniyambadi said the ruling party should not expect the votes of people from the region.
"The TMC election committee strongly condemns the attack on Mamata Banerjee, and since elections are taking place under the Election Commission, it is their duty to prevent such incident. Whoever injured Mamata should be located and tried with proper investigation," Mr Chatterjee said.
Kolkata: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee brought back to Woodburn Block of SSKM Hospital after medical tests pic.twitter.com/wnkqhv6Cp7
- ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2021
Kolkata: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee being taken to another building of SSKM Hospital for further medical tests
- ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2021
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee also present at the hospital pic.twitter.com/7lX9OXb83J
Altogether 295 contestants had filed their papers for the first phase and upon scrutiny on Wednesday 284 papers were found valid, the CEO office said.
The prominent candidates whose nominations papers were found valid from the ruling BJP are Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal (Majuli), Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami (Jorhat), ministers Ranjit Dutta (Behali) Naba Kumar Doley (Dhakuakhana-ST) and Sanjoy Kishan (Tinsukia).
Mr Adhikari visited the Sonachura Trilokeshwar Temple in the area amid a large number of devotees who gathered to offer puja on the auspicious day.
A large number of BJP supporters were also present as Mr Adhikari, the party's candidate from Nandigram, offered puja at the temple.
As a microphone was handed to him, he chanted ''Har Har Mahadev'' and ''Bhole Baba Par Karega'' amid loud cheer from his supporters.
JNU student leader Aishe Ghosh, Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) state president Minakshi Mukherjee, Students' Federation of India's (SFI) national joint secretary Dipsita Dhar, SFI state president Pratikur Rahaman, DYFI state secretary Sayandeep Mitra's are among those whose names feature in the list declared by Left Front chairperson Biman Bose on Wednesday.
Jawaharlal Nehru University Student's Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh who gained prominence after being injured during the protests against fee hike in 2020, has been fielded by the CPI(M) from Jamuria constituency in Paschim Bardhaman district.
Ms Banerjee sustained injuries on her left leg and waist as she fell on the ground after she was allegedly pushed by unknown miscreants while campaigning for West Bengal assembly elections in Nandigram on Wednesday.
"Concerned to know about the hospitalisation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Wishing her speedy recovery and praying for good health," Mr Patnaik said on Twitter.
Kolkata: TMC leaders Nusrat Jahan Ruhi, Mimi Chakraborty and Madan Mitra visited SSKM hospital in Kolkata where Chief Minister & party chief Mamata Banerjee is admitted. pic.twitter.com/xkNi7RtRfn
- ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2021
Mamata Banerjee urged her supporters to maintain peace and restraint in a video message today from a hospital in Kolkata, a day after alleging an attack in which she suffered injuries.
A delegation of BJP leaders on Thursday visited the SSKM Hospital in Kolkata where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is undergoing treatment." itemprop="description
West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday continued to condemn West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the alleged attack where she suffered a leg injury, saying that her claims that police personnel were not with her at the time of the incident were ''laughable''.
He further responded to the Trinamool Congress' (TMC) claims that it was a conspiracy, saying that if it were so, central investigation agencies should be called.
"She is trying to gain sympathy from people by making excuses of attack, conspiracy, an attempt of murder etc. It is laughable that she claims there was no police with her. It is an attempt to win the election with excuses," the Congress leader said.
The Election Commission on Thursday rejected the nomination of Trinamool Congress candidate Ujjwal Kumar from Joypur Assembly seat.
BJP candidate Narhari Mahato is in the fray in Joypur. She is a former Forward Bloc MP who recently joined tje BJP.
A case was registered on Thursday over the attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Trinamool Congress activists took out rallies across West Bengal on Thursday, protesting
against an alleged attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Purba Medinipur's Nandigram.
campaigning for assembly elections on Wednesday.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi instructed Kerala's party leaders to include over 50 per cent of young faces, women and newcomers, and instructions for the upcoming Assembly elections, said Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee Vice President PC Vishnunadh on Wednesday.
"Rahul Gandhi himself instructed the state's leadership to include more than 50 per cent young faces, newcomers and women. Instructions have already been given to the state's leadership. I am sure that once that list is announced, over 50 per cent of will be fresh faces," Vishnunadh told ANI.
Over the last few weeks, Mr Gandhi has visited several places in Kerala to campaign for the upcoming state assembly elections that will be held on April 6.
140 seats across 14 districts will go to polls in a single-phase and counting of votes will be held on May 2.
While speaking about Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Home Minister Amit Shah's recent exchange of allegations over the gold smuggling case in the state, Vishnunadh said, "Amit Shah criticised Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan in his speech at Shankumugham. The next day, Mr Vijayan criticised Mr Shah. Both are specialists in fake encounters, their criticisms of each other are fake."
He further said, "The Home Minister says that he has evidence against the CM. His responsibility is to give that evidence to the agencies. The CM is saying that the affidavit of Customs is fake. Then why is he not going to the court to quash it? They are not doing anything, simply criticising."
A day after Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged an attack in which she suffered injuries to her leg and neck, the BJP said it would complain to the Election Commission that she's "spreading lies about attack for politics".
Senior district officials on Thursday morning visited the area in Nandigram where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was allegedly attacked while campaigning for the upcoming assembly elections.
Aishe Ghosh, the chief of the students' union of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), will contest the assembly election in West Bengal as a CPI (M) candidate. She is the first sitting president of JNU's students' union to contest in an assembly election.
The CPI (M) has given Ms Ghosh the Jamuria seat to contest from. She will be backed by the Sanyukt Morcha.
Will be contesting from Jamuria Legislative Assembly Seat as candidate of the CPI(M) ,supported by the Sanyukt Morcha.
- Aishe (ঐশী) (@aishe_ghosh) March 11, 2021
Requesting all of your support.#BengalElections2021 pic.twitter.com/bsxIdguIzH
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is undergoing treatment at a state-run
hospital following the alleged attack on her in Nandigram is "stable" now, and doctors are planning to conduct a series of medical tests, including a CT scan, to assess the degree of
of treatment. Her fever subsided," a doctor of the SSKM Hospital told PTI.
The Centre has accorded ''Y+'' VIP security cover to veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty who recently joined the BJP, official sources said on Wednesday.
They said the security cover will be provided by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) that has a dedicated wing for this task, called the special security group (SSG).
The 70-year-old actor had joined the BJP on Sunday at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mega rally at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was seen in hospital with her left leg in a cast in a photo tweeted by her nephew Abhishek Banerjee this morning, a day after she alleged an attack in Nandigram, where she filed her nomination for the state election later this month.
My father joins me in condemning the assault on @MamataOfficial while campaigning. The rough & tumble of election campaigns should not descend in to physical violence & we hope the EC inquiry gets to the bottom of this.
- Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) March 11, 2021
"Rahul Gandhi himself instructed the state''s leadership to include more than 50 per cent young faces, newcomers and women. Instructions have already been given to the state''s leadership. I am sure that once that list is announced, over 50 per cent of will be fresh faces," PC Vishnunadh told ANI.