Sagardighi (West Bengal) [India], April 2 : As West Bengal assembly elections near, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of conspiring to get the upcoming polls cancelled and impose President's rule in the state.
Addressing a poll rally in Sagardighi, CM Banerjee claimed that the BJP was behind the incident in Malda where seven judicial officers were taken hostage by villagers on Wednesday.
"Administration is not under my control right now. Law and order (situation) is being controlled by the ECI. They work as per the instructions of Home Minister Amit Shah. The Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, DG, SPs, DMs, ADMs, BDOs, ICs and several other state officials have been changed," she said.
She further alleged that the BJP plans to "cancel the elections and capture Bengal forcefully".
"You (BJP) have tried to provoke people in many ways. The plan is to cancel the elections. If that happens, nobody will have the right to vote. They will capture Bengal forcefully. ECI has snatched away my powers and has imposed a 'super President's Rule' with the help of the Home Minister and the Governor," Banerjee said.
The West Bengal CM claimed she had no prior information about the Malda incident and came to know about it from a journalist. She admitted that the current Chief Secretary has not even contacted her once.
"I don't know who was behind yesterday's incident in Malda. I don't have any information. The incumbent CS has not even called me once. I got to know from a journalist that judges are gheraoed. There is discontentment among people in Malda, Murshidabad and Uttar Dinajpur. People have fallen prey to the BJP's game plan," Banerjee added.
A major political storm has erupted in West Bengal as seven judicial officers, including three women, were held hostage by villagers in Malda district on Wednesday.
The standoff was triggered by mass deletions from the electoral rolls under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The incident was part of a broader wave of protests that paralysed Malda throughout the day, as demonstrators staged road blockades across national and state highways and key rural routes in at least five Assembly constituencies.
Reacting to the issue, the Supreme Court today described the Malda incident as a brazen and deliberate attempt to obstruct the administration of justice.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant expressed concern that, despite prior intimation, the State authorities failed to provide prompt protection, leaving the officers without food or water for hours.
The court issued show-cause notices to senior State officials, including the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary and Director-General of Police, asking them to explain their inaction. It directed the Election Commission to requisition and deploy adequate central forces to ensure the safety of judicial officers and the smooth conduct of the SIR adjudication process.
The bench also mandated strict security measures at all venues, restricted public entry, ordered an immediate assessment of threat perceptions to the officers and their families, and required compliance reports. It asked senior officials to be present virtually at the next hearing.
The polling for the 294-member Assembly in West Bengal will take place in two phases on April 23 and April 29, while counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
In the last assembly election in the state, held in eight phases in 2021, the Trinamool Congress recorded a landslide victory with 213 seats amid an intense contest with the BJP, which jumped to 77 seats. Congress and Left Front drew a blank in the last state polls.