Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called Governor Jagdeep Dhankar from Nandigram today, during a scuffle with BJP employees at a polling station. She told the Governor over the phone that “anything might happen at any moment.” “There is a complete breakdown of law and order with people from outside of the region,” the Chief Minister said.
The second phase of voting in Nandigram, the focal point of the Bengal polls in which the Chief Minister is pitted against her protégé-turned-arch-rival Suvendu Adhikari, takes place today.
Ms. Banerjee, who was watching the proceedings from her home in Nandigram, left about 1 p.m. when representatives of her Trinamool Congress accused BJP employees of booth capturing and rigging.
Ms. Banerjee alleged that goons “from other states are raising a ruckus here,” adding, “I have lodged 63 poll-related complaints since morning, and no action has been taken by the Election Commission.”
“Outsiders are those who lift slogans. They had traveled from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Central Forces are defending them “Ms. Banerjee’s party had previously written to the Election Commission, asking that security forces from NDA-ruled states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh not be deployed in Bengal in the name of free and fair elections.
According to the party, security forces from these states would be partisan.
The Trinamool Congress has been accused of causing many disturbances to the voting process in Nandigram.
Derek O’Brien, a senior party chief, has already written to the Election Commission, alleging booth capturing by BJP members.
“A huge crowd of BJP employees has assembled at booths 6, 7, 49, 27, 162, 21, 26, 13, 262, 256, 163, and 20. BJP employees attempting to gain hold of the EVM and rig the booth, “He put pen to paper.
“More than 150 EVM machines malfunctioning after Phase II voting began this morning,” said TMC party MP Mahua Moitra. “Wish @ECISVEEP had put half as much work into ensuring no EVM bugs as it did into moving police officials.”
