As the TMC stands poised to sweep West Bengal’s violence-scarred rural polls, several winning candidates from the Opposition ranks have fled to neighbouring Assam. Nine BJP candidates and CPI(M) contestant made the move alleging attacks by TMC workers. Both the BJP and the ruling TMC have levelled allegations of violence against the other in the past few days.
The candidates have reportedly taken refuge in Assam’s Dhubri district. Local BJP president Prosenjit Dutta told the media that five winning BJP candidates from Chilakhana-II gram panchayat under Tufanganj assembly constituency and four from Balarampur-II gram panchayat under the Natabari assembly constituency (both in in Coochbehar district) had reached the area on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) candidate Noor Mohammad has also fled along with his family from his home in Coochbehar district to Dhubri alleging that Trinamool Congress workers had attacked him and his supporters.
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Earlier on Tuesday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that 133 people from West Bengal have taken shelter in the state. He claimed that they had feared for their lives because of the panchayat election violence back home.
“Democracy has been murdered in West Bengal and there is goonda Raj in the neighbouring state. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should take lessons from how polls are conducted in Assam. Panchayat, assembly and parliamentary elections have been conducted under the BJP rule since 2016 and there have been no incidents of violence,” Assam BJP president Bhabesh Kalita told reporters.
Counting of votes for the three-tier panchayat polls began at 8 am on Tuesday at 339 venues spread across 22 districts.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Updated: 13 Jul 2023, 01:16 AM IST
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