Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 2 : Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shashi Panja has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deliberately attempted to "provoke" unrest during polling in West Bengal as part of a "strategy" to force repolling in multiple booths and defame the state.
Her remarks came after the Election Commission announced repolling in 15 booths in the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. The repolling begins today on 11 booths of Magrahat Paschim Assembly constituency and 4 booths of Diamond Harbour Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas.
West Bengal Minister and TMC candidate Shashi Panja is contesting from the Shyampukur seat against BJP candidate Purnima Chakraborty.
Speaking to reporters here, Panja claimed that the BJP engaged in deliberate provocation during both phases of polling to create conditions for repolling.
"The EC thinks that a repoll was warranted out there. That is why, just in the press conference, we replied that this was basically the strategy of the BJP that on the day of the poll, first phase or the second phase, they would provoke the other political parties. There were incidents where they would incite some kind of trouble so that there could be a massive repoll in many more booths. We did not react to their provocation," she told reporters on Friday.
She further alleged that the BJP adopted a devious strategy due to a lack of electoral preparedness. "This was the strategy of the BJP. They are not prepared, they are not winning. They tried this devious strategy that lets us have a repoll in many places and defame Bengal," Panja added.
On the issue of TMC approaching the SC to constitute a special bench on vote-counting supervisors, Panja clarified that the directive was "not new".
"This is not a new order; this is a pre-existing order. This has been circulated again. We have taken cognisance of the order, and the counting agents will be in place. There is nothing more to that," she said.
Meanwhile, BJP Candidate Purnima Chakraborty from the Shyampukur seat said, "The strong room is safe, and the EVMs are also secure. But this thieving TMC candidate from Shyampukur, who has been staging a drama since yesterday out of fear of defeat, has realised that the people have abandoned, ostracised, and boycotted the role of the anti-women minister she has held for years. Therefore, she staged this drama to protect her own last vestiges... this drama will no longer work. The lotus is going to bloom in Bengal on the 4th under PM Modi's leadership... Shyampukur is going to be free of this anti-women minister."
This comes after the Supreme Court on Friday constituted a special bench to hear the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) plea against the Calcutta High Court's rejection of its plea that challenged the deployment of only Central government and PSU (Public Sector Undertaking) employees as supervisors for vote counting in the West Bengal assembly elections.
Meanwhile, repolling begins today on 11 booths of Magrahat Paschim Assembly constituency and 4 booths of Diamond Harbour Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas.
The repolling is being done after reports of tampering with EVMs at some polling booths emerged during the second phase of polling held on April 29.
The final phase of polling for the high-octane West Bengal assembly elections concluded, with voter turnout hitting remarkable numbers at 92.67%, while the counting of votes will take place on May 4.