West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday dialled Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankar from Nandigram polling booth alleging that several local voters from the constituency are not being allowed to cast their ballot, adding that she was caught between two warring groups for more than an hour. On the phone, she conveyed the situation was a failure of the Election Commission, which was in charge of the law and order. "...They didn't allow the local people to cast their vote. From morning I am campaigning...Now I am appealing to you, please see..." the chief minister said.
Fearing her life, Ms Banerjee said, "Anything might happen at any moment. There is total breakdown of law and order.” The Chief Minister had to be rescued by Central paramilitary forces.
The Election Commission has sought a report on the matter from the local administration.
Banerjee’s claim comes on a day when 30 constituencies in West Bengal are voting in the second phase of assembly polls to elect the next state government.
Soon after the chief minister’s complaint and request to Dhankhar to look into the matter, the governor on Twitter wrote, “Issues flagged @MamataOfficial a while ago on phone have been imparted to the concerned. There is full assurance of the concerned to adherence to rule of law. Am confident all will act in the right spirit and earnestness so that democracy flourishes.”
Nandigram is the battlefield of the Bengal elections, where the Chief Minister is facing her old aide turned rival Suvendu Adhikari -- is voting today in the second phase.
Ms Banerjee, who was monitoring the proceedings from her home in Nandigram, left around 1 pm after TMC leaders alleged booth capture and ruckus by BJP workers.
As soon as the Chief Minister arrived and complained that the polling agent about her party had not been allowed inside the booth, chaos broke and villagers suddenly started shouting Jai Shri Ram slogans.
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Banerjee alleged that people who were raising slogans were goons and are outsiders. “They came from Bihar and UP, they are being protected by Central Forces,” she said.
Amid the proceedings of the voting, TMC has alleged disruption. Senior party leader Derek O'Brien has already written to the EC, claiming booth capture by BJP men. "Huge mob of BJP workers have entered booth no.s 6, 7, 49, 27, 162, 21, 26, 13, 262, 256, 163, 20. BJP workers attempting to take control of EVM & rigging the booth," he wrote. MP Mahua Moitra too was accused of glitches in EVM machines.