The Trinamul Congress candidate Prasun Banerjee, a former IPS officer, who is contesting the Lok Sabha Polls from Maldah (Uttar), has started campaigning from Malda Assembly Constituency with a warning to the Central paramilitary forces. Addressing the audience at a school premises at Old Malda today, the TMC candidate said: “The BSF as well as paramilitary force will have to work within the law because we are within the law. We want a free and fair election here. If they scare the people, we will teach them a good lesson. My name is Prasun Banerjee. Don’t worry. I am with you.”

The TMC candidate, a former Malda Superintendent of Police, said: “ You will not neglect the Central forces. You will supply water and other requirements for them where they stay. You must pay them respect for as long as they are not curbing your democratic rights. You will tell them Prasun Banerjee has come here to play. If they curb democratic rights, we will protest democratically. Leave it to me. We will hit the streets and collapse the region. We must show India what is an election.” “There is no scope of political dividend by dominating areas through route march, showcasing SLR AK 47. Observer will be looking into it. Pay respect to the officials. Don’t use any indecorous words to them, ” Mr Banerjee said, adding, “If the Central forces try to curb democratic rights, they will be confined to this school.”

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Notably, the BJP bagged the Maldah Uttar seat in 2019. The BJP candidate Khagen Murmu, who is contesting from here for a second time on the BJP ticket, secured 5,07,798 votes. The TMC candidate Mousam Noor, who was the former MP from the same seat on a Congress ticket, obtained 4,24, 517 votes. The Congress candidate Isha Khan Chowdhury managed 3,04,964 votes. The CPI-M candidate Biswanath Ghosh obtained 50,315 votes.

The Congress High Command has not yet finalised its candidate for Maldah Uttar. Notably, Isha Khan Choudhury has started working with party leaders in Maldah Dakshin LS segment. Today, the TMC leader and Kolkata mayor, Firhad Hakim, held a meeting with party leaders in Malda and campaigned for the Trinamul candidates, especially for Prasun Banerjee.

“The Congress leader, the late ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury wanted to throw the CPIM into the Bay of Bengal. But the Congress couldn’t do that. Only the Trinamul Congress led by Mamata Banerjee has thrown the CPI-M into the Bay of Bengal. Now the Congress is hobnobbing with the CPI-M,” Mr Hakim said in Malda today