A day before polling for bypoll in Bhabanipur assembly, the BJP has alleged that the attack on party national vice president Dilip Ghosh was orchestrated by the ruling Trinamool Congress to create an atmosphere of fear among voters.
BJP West Bengal chief Sukanta Majumdar told IANS that violence was staged to intimidate voters ahead of polling.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who lost to leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram, is contesting against BJP’s Priyanka Tibrewal. Polling for Bhabanipur assembly will be held on September 30 and counting of votes will take place on October 3.
Majumdar claimed that the attack on Ghosh was pre planned with intention to kill him. “Opposition has been suppressed in Bhabanipur and there was conspiracy to kill Dilip da. It was only to create an atmosphere of fear,” he said.
Majumdar, newly appointed BJP West Bengal chief, demanded that the Election Commission (EC) should take strict measures to enforce law and order in the constituency.
Majumdar, however, doubted that free and fair elections would be held in Bhabanipur. “There is little chance of fear and fair polls the way TMC has created an atmosphere of fear by violent attack on our leader in the constituency. Voters especially belonging to the business community felt threatened and that was the plan of the ruling party,” he said.
BJP West Bengal chief claims that all acts of violence by TMC was done to ensure low turnout on polling day so that the ruling party rigged the process in its favour.
“They created the atmosphere of fear so that people would not come out to vote and in case of low turnout they can easily send someone else behind a mask following Covid protocol to vote for the chief minister,” he said.
In the wake of violence in Bhabanipur, a BJP delegation on Tuesday met Election Commission of India and demanded deployment of micro-observers and 40 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) to ensure free and peaceful elections.