BJP men forcibly occupying booths, attacking TMC candidates, says Mamata as 3rd phase underway

KALCHINI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday claimed BJP activists were forcibly occupying polling booths and attacking TMC members, including party candidates, and asserted that she would not get bogged down by such "intimidatory tactics".

Addressing a public meeting here in Alipurduar district, the TMC supremo said her party's nominee in Arambagh, Sujata Mondal, was chased and hit on head near a polling booth by saffron party workers.

"They have inflicted serious injury on our Scheduled Caste candidate Sujata, when she visited a booth. They also hit another candidate in Khanakul. In Canning East, security forces prevented our nominee Shaukat Mollah from entering a booth. There had been numerous such instances of attack on our candidates, party workers across the state," Banerjee said.

The CM further stated that she has received at least 100 complaints of assault and violence since morning, and the EC has been duly informed but to no avail.

Alleging that a deep-rooted conspiracy has been hatched by the BJP leadership in Delhi after experiencing "poor turnout" in rallies, Banerjee said "Security forces have been asked not to resist booth capturing."

"Four of our activists have been murdered since the elections began, but no action has been taken. But you (BJP) cannot terrorise us, intimidate us by such acts," Banerjee added.