BJP moves Supreme Court for free polls in West Bengal

The BJP West Bengal state leadership has moved the Supreme Court demanding a free, fair and violence-free Panchayat election and also deployment of Central force during election.

"Our legal cell has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court for a fair and violence-free panchayat election in Bengal," state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said on Wednesday.

The leader said, "Mamata had said she wanted an Opposition-free election and that is why her party leaders have unleashed violence on the Opposition. She tweets on every occasion, whey is she quiet now?"

Earlier in the day, West Bengal state election commissioner Amarendra Kumar Singh met West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi and sources said that Tripathi had expressed his concern over the rising incidents of violence centred around the panchayat elections. While leaving the governor's residence, Singh said, "I met the governor and informed him about the arrangements made regarding filing of nominations."

In the afternoon, BJP leaders put up a demonstration in front of the State Election Commission (SEC). The protest was led by BJP leaders such as Mukul Roy and Jayprakash Majumdar.

"Bengal is bleeding. Mamata Banerjee has murdered democracy. We are not afraid of elections but because the TMC is afraid of us, they are not even letting us file our nominations. The state election commission is a puppet, being controlled from Nabanna. We have moved court demanding Central force deployment," BJP leader Ghosh said. Addressing Mamata, he said, "Come out and face the election in a free manner."