With rural Bengal witnessing widespread clashes and attacks for the past few days over filing of nominations for the three-phase panchayat polls beginning 1 May, a Trinamul Congress delegation comprising 25 MPs today met Union home minister Rajnath Singh accusing the state Governor KN Tripathi of turning Raj Bhavan into BJP headquarters.

On the other hand, state BJP said it would move the Supreme Court so that the panchayat polls can be held in a free, fair and peaceful manner. “We want deployment of Central forces as the state election commission is totally incapable of holding free and fair polls,” said its president Dilip Ghosh.

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“The Governor’s House has become the BJP’s headquarters. He should remember that he is a constitutional head. The attitude of the Governor’s House is not desirable. It is not good for democracy and the federal structure,” Trinamul MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay told reporters after the meeting.

The Governor had yesterday summoned the state election commissioner after state BJP complained that ruling party cadres were unleashing attacks on Opposition candidates who were not being allowed to file nominations.

Mr Tripathi met both the SEC and the state chief secretary during the day. The Trinamul leaders questioned the “propriety” of the Governor meeting the two officials. “Many Opposition leaders are holding press conferences at the Governor’s House after meeting him. He calls the chief secretary and the state election commissioner whenever he wants. The State Election Commission is an autonomous body and is doing its job. It is not a good signal for democracy,” Mr Bandyopadhyay alleged.

The Trinamul delegation urged the Union home minister to speak to the Governor in this regard.

The BJP, the Left Front and the Congress alleged the Trinamul had unleashed a reign of terror in different parts of the state and prevented Opposition candidates from filing nominations. The CPI-M appealed to Opposition parties to be united to stop Trinamul’s “attacks” on their supporters and candidates during filing of nominations.

The BJP welcomed the suggestion and said it was ready to join force with Opposition parties in resisting “undemocratic and unlawful attempts by Trinamul to turn the rural polls into a farce by intimidating Opposition candidates and not allowing them even to contest the polls.

“Trinamul secretary-general Partha Chatterjee is patronising hooligans openly,” Mr Ghosh said.

CPI-M state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra said : “State election commissioner has been rendered inactive and the SEC is being directly run by Nabanna. No electoral process is being followed and panchayat poll is being reduced to a farce. All Opposition parties should stand by the victims, who are being attacked for coming forward to file nomination.”

State BJP panchayat election convener Mukul Roy said the state administration was telling a lie regarding the number of nomination papers by the Opposition parties.

“Less than 1,000 candidates of the BJP were able to file nomination papers, but the state administration is giving it out that over 11,000 candidates have filed nominations, which is false,” he said.

State BJP supporters under the leadership of Mr Roy also staged a protest demonstration in front of the SEC office. “There is no democracy in the state. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her administration are desperately trying to terrorise Opposition activists so that they can’t file nomination papers. The SEC keeps mum,” he said.

Mr Roy added the BJP was taking on the Trinamul-backed goons on its own, but if any other Opposition parties wanted to unitedly fight this “menace”, the BJP’s doors were open.