KOLKATA: With violence over the filing of nominations continuing for the fifth consecutive day in parts of West Bengal, opposition Indian Secular Front (ISF) MLA Naushad Siddique on Wednesday went to meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to brief her about the situation in his constituency.
The legislator of Bhangore in South 24 Parganas district, however, could not meet Banerjee due to her "pressing engagements" and left.
"I had come here to meet Banerjee at the state secretariat and inform her about the situation in Bhangore where opposition candidates were threatened and stopped from filing nominations.
But since she was busy, I could not meet her," Siddique told reporters.
A senior official at the Chief Minister's Office told PTI that the meeting could not be held because of Banerjee's pressing engagements.
Earlier in the day, ISF and Trinamool Congress supporters clashed in Bhangore, around 30km from Kolkata.
Police resorted to baton charges to defuse the situation.
Sources claimed bombs were hurled and several cars ransacked as supporters of both parties tried to stop each other from filing nominations leading to several injuries.
"Trinamool goons unleashed violence since Tuesday night to stop our candidates from filing nominations," Siddique said.
Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh dismissed the allegations as "baseless" and said the ISF is trying to unleash violence in the area.
Since the first day of nomination filing on June 9, violence has been witnessed in various parts of the state, with the opposition - BJP, Congress and CPI (M) - accusing the Trinamool of using muscle power to stop their candidates from filing their papers.