Assembly Election 2021 News LIVE Updates: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and BJP chief JP Nadda will hold rallies in Bengal today as the battle for power hots up in the state. In a strongly worded rejoinder to Banerjee yesterday, the Election Commission has rejected her claim about the presence of outsiders at a polling booth in Nandigram as “factually incorrect” and “devoid of substance”. The EC sent the letter to Banerjee on Saturday in response to a complaint filed by her on April 1, when polling was held in Nandigram, alleging irregularities in the polling process.
In its point-by-point rejoinder, the EC said Banerjee’s letter regarding booth capturing and the presence of outsiders at a polling booth in Boyal was “preceded by a massive coverage all over the country… which showed dozens of audio-visual shots of your being in this polling station and literally hurling an avalanche of allegations on some officials working with the government of West Bengal itself, paramilitary forces and eventually the Election Commission”. Citing reports received from the ground, including its observers, the poll body said, “It is self-evident from the perusal of all the reports that the allegations mentioned in your hand-written note are factually incorrect, without any empirical evidence whatsoever and devoid of substance.” The commission said it is a matter of deep regret that a “media narrative was sought to be weaved hour after hour to misguide the biggest stakeholders, which is the voters, by a candidate who also happens to be CM of the state”.
Banerjee, who is contesting the polls from Nandigram, had visited a polling booth in Boyal when polling was underway on April 1. According to Chief Electoral Officer Ariz Aftab, wheelchair-bound Banerjee was stuck in the booth for almost two hours as two groups raised slogans against each other. A large number of CAPF personnel and senior officers reached there and brought out the chief minister after bringing the situation under control. Later, Banerjee blamed outsiders for creating trouble. She also accused the EC of not acting on complaints of alleged irregularities in the polling process in Nandigram lodged by her party, Trinamool Congress.
Banerjee also urged voters to help TMC score a landslide victory in the assembly elections and alleged that anything less may help the BJP form a government because of horse-trading. “I am winning from Nandigram but this election is not about me. You have to assure that TMC should win more than 200 seats otherwise BJP will use their money power to buy traitors.” The West Bengal assembly has 294 seats.
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