BJP demands cancellation of Kolkata municipal polls on allegations of fraud

Science

The BJP has demanded cancellation of the Kolkata municipal polls on allegations of clashes, vote rigging and terrorist activities. The state’s main opposition party has lodged a complaint with West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar over the issue.

West Bengal opposition leader and BJP MLA Shuvendu Adhikari has blamed the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress for the rigging and demanded cancellation of the vote. At the same time, he demanded a fresh vote at the state election office.

Shuvendu Adhikari said, ‘There is no minimum democracy in Bengal. He claimed that only 20 per cent of the votes cast in the elections were rigged and the remaining 60 per cent were rigged.

Elections were held in 144 wards of Kolkata Municipality on Sunday. The party has alleged attacks on BJP leaders, activists and candidates in various places in the election. Leaders and activists of the parties also complained that the Congress and the Left supporters were not allowed to vote.

Before the election, it was announced from the grassroots that no irregularities will be tolerated in this year’s municipal polls. He was also expelled from the party for rigging the election. But in order to overcome the electoral dilemma, allegations of massive terrorism were leveled against Mamata Banerjee’s party.

Meanwhile, the booth return poll indicates victory for the grassroots by a huge margin. According to a poll conducted by polling agency C-Voter after the polls on Sunday, the grassroots could get 56 percent of the vote. Apart from this, BJP can get 27 percent, Left Front 5 percent, Congress 6 percent and others 2 percent votes.

As a ward, out of 144 wards of the municipal corporation, Trinamool can get 131 and BJP 13. On the other hand, the Left Party, Congress and others are not getting any seats, as indicated by the booth return survey.

In the last elections in 2015, Trinamool won 114 seats, BJP 8, Left Front 15, Congress 5 seats and others 3 seats. The results of the municipal polls are expected to be announced next Tuesday.“Keeping in view the observations made above, respondent No. 2 and No. 3 (West Bengal government and the SEC, respectively) are directed to disclose to this court, without any further delay, minimum phases in which elections for the remaining municipal corporations/municipalities in the state will be held, and the tentative time schedule giving earliest dates for holding such elections. We expect that respondent No. 2 and No. 3 will take a decision in this regard keeping in mind their responsibility to uphold democratic principles and to carry out the mandate of the Constitution,” said the court order.

On the BJP’s petition for a stay on the KMC polls, the court said a similar petition was rejected on December 1.

“We are of the opinion that the prayer made by the counsel for the petitioner for staying the KMC elections cannot be accepted and is hereby declined,” said the judges.

During the last hearing on December 10, advocates for the petitioner cited some judgments of the Supreme Court and said that electronic voting machines (EVM) containing voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) are mandatory, but these will not be used in the KMC elections, according to the affidavit earlier filed by the SEC.

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