Nandigram: After coming out from the polling booth at Boyal in Nandigram, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is running the Election Commission of India.
Banerjee also accused the central forces deployed in her Nandigram constituency of helping the BJP under the instructions of Amit Shah.
"The CRPF, BSF are acting under the instructions of Home Minister Amit Shah....they are only helping the BJP," she told reporters outside a polling station in Nandigram constituency.
She demanded that Shah, who had earlier campaigned for Suvendu Adhikari, her rival in Nandigram, must "control the BJP goons brought from outside".
Banerjee also slammed the Election Commission for "inaction" despite her party lodging several complaints and threatened to move the law courts over it.
“Despite writing to the Election Commission several times they are supporting the BJP candidate. I am not worried about Nandigram as I will mark my victory not only in Nandigram but the entire West Bengal. I am worried about democracy,” said the TMC Nandigram candidate.
"We have lodged 63 complaints since morning. But no action has been taken. We will move the court over it. This is unacceptable," the chief minister said seated, in a wheelchair outside booth 7 in Boyal in Nandigram.
"The EC is working on the instructions of Amit Shah," she alleged.
Slamming the move of the TMC supremo for staying in a polling booth for almost two hours, BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari said that the Election Commission should take action against this move as no candidates are allowed to stay in a booth for so long.
“Even I am even visiting several polling booths and signing the visitors’ book. But by putting poll on hold the TMC supremo had violated the model code of conduct. Fearing defeat she was there for so long. TMC’s organization became so weak that they couldn’t provide poll agents in every booth,” claimed Suvendu who later visited the Boyal polling booth for five minutes.
Notably, according to rule 5 of the Election Commission of India, except the voters, no one without a valid pass from the Election Commission are allowed to enter the polling booth.
A TMC poll agent’s mother claimed that the BJP had threatened him of dire consequences for which he didn’t turn up today, to which the turncoat leader said that "if someone has done it then it is wrong."
Incidentally, a TMC poll agent’s mother, despite assurance of security, didn't allow his son to go out.
“The BJP cadres had threatened to kill my son. Today the central forces are saying that they will give us security but after the poll is over police and central forces will go but we will have to stay here so I cannot allow my son to take the risk. The BJP cadres last night had vandalized my kitchen; now they can even kill us,” claimed the weeping mother.
Meanwhile, Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain had sought detailed report over the violence in Nandigram.
