Clashes during Bidhan Nagar municipality elections at Salt Lake in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on Saturday (Press Trust of India photo)
The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has accused the state Election Commission, the BJP and Governor KN Tripathi of conspiracy in putting off counting for civic polls that was scheduled for October 7. Polls were held on Saturday in Salt Lake, Asansol and Bally.
" Unfortunate... when governors start playing dirty politics," tweeted senior Trinamool leader Derek O'Brien after the poll panel announced its decision to call off counting on Sunday evening.
"Has the Raj Bhavan become a BJP party office? The Governor is acting in a way unbecoming of his high office. For the first time something like this happening. The BJP state party president makes a statement and soon afterwards the EC repeats his statement," said party leader Partha Chatterjee.
The Trinamool has threatened to hold a
dharna or sit-in outside the Election Commission's office today.
After numerous complaints by Opposition parties - Left Front, BJP and Congress - of rigging and booth-capturing by alleged Trinamool supporters, the Commission decided to put off counting of votes indefinitely.
"We want to examine CCTV footage from inside polling booths and media footage of alleged outsiders trying to rig the polls and then decide our next course of action," said State Election Commissioner Sushanta Upadhyay.
"It's a historic decision," said state BJP chief Rahul Sinha who had staged a sit-in outside the Commissioner's office even before polls ended. The Left Front withdrew a 12-hour shutdown today that it had called in Salt Lake.
On polling day, especially in Salt Lake which is an upscale township, hundreds of "outsiders" were seen casting votes and even capturing booths in some wards. Scores of "outsiders" were also seen at a Trinamool "camp office", clearly under the command of Trinamool lawmaker Sujit Bose.
While Mr Bose represents parts of Salt Lake, party lawmakers Paresh Pal and Arjun Singh, who belong to different constituencies, were also seen at Salt Lake with the "outsiders" who also attacked members of the media who tried to take their pictures. The police, Opposition candidates allege, were mute spectators.