A BJP delegation approached the Election Commission (EC) on Monday seeking strong action against the district magistrate of South 24 Parganas for sabotaging their party’s rallies and also accused the CEO office of favouring Trinamool.

Party’s national secretary Sunil V Deodhar accused the DM Ratnakar Rao of sabotaging the BJP meetings and “working as an agent of Trinamool Congress”.

“It is common that political leaders will come, address the public and return for which everyone seeks permission from the commission. The way they cancelled BJP president Amit Shah’s rally, has caused confusion among the people. State administration of Bengal has sabotaged our party’s meetings,” Deodhar told media persons.

He said that they have demanded Rao’s removal.

Earlier on Monday, the BJP was forced to cancel a scheduled rally by its president Amit Shah in Jadavpur after local authorities denied permission. The authorities also refused to let Shah’s helicopter land in the constituency. They also did not get the permission for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s rally and even Smriti Irani’s meeting was called off at the last moment.

“Is this any kind joke? This way Mamata Banerjee is ruining Bengal’s name across the country ant this is not the state’s culture,” Deodhar said.

State BJP Vice President Jayprakash Majumdar, party leader Mukul Roy and Jadavpur Lok Sabha candidate Anupam Hazra were also a part of the delegation. They held a sit-in protest outside the CEO office but withdrew it after getting an assurance from the commission.

“We all have strongly demanded an inquiry of the role played by District Electoral Officer of South 24 Parganas. He is not giving permissions for our rallies,” Roy said.

“Chief Minister moves around with a convoy of 26 vehicles and there is cash in all of them. Even Abhishek Banerjee moves in a convoy of 16 vehicles, each carrying cash that is later distributed,” Roy said.

According to him, they have never been stopped during the Naka checking.

“If the Chief Minister can speak of searching the Prime Minister’s car, why should she be spared? The CEO office has turned into a Trinamool office,” Roy said.

Addressing a rally in Jaynagar, Amit Shah dared West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to arrest him for saying ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and then urged the gathering to raise the chant.

Shah also said that the Trinamool Congress chief is preventing his party from holding rallies in the state because she is afraid that her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, will lose the elections.

Union minister Prakash Javadekar said that Mamata Banerjee is running a “dictatorship” in Bengal.

Authorities in West Bengal have on multiple occasions refused BJP leaders from holding rallies in the state.

Shah’s chopper was not allowed to land in Malda district in January this year. In February, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was forced to take the road to Purulia from Bokaro in Jharkhand after his chopper was denied permission to land.

West Bengal, one of the only three states where polling is being held in all seven phases, will witness the last round on 19 May. Voting will be held on the remaining nine of the 42 LS seats in the state.