Congress today demanded President's rule in West Bengal before the panchayat polls
The Congress on Tuesday demanded President's rule in West Bengal before the panchayat polls saying no one will be able to exercise their democratic rights under the Mamata Banerjee government.
The filing of fresh nominations for panchayat elections in West Bengal took place on Monday amid allegations of violence levelled by opposition parties against "goons" of the ruling Trinamool Congress. At least two people died in clashes related to the filing of nominations.
"I have written to Rajnath Singh about it (about President's rule) without which there can be no democracy in Bengal," West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told DNA.
Chowdhury said without imposing President's rule, no one will be able to exercise their democratic rights in the state.
Asked about Congress high command's position on this, Chowdhury said he has received a "go ahead" from party president Rahul Gandhi.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders will once again move Supreme Court regarding the polls in West Bengal. Party national general secretary and co-observer for Bengal, Kailash Vijayvargiya said that party's Panchayat poll candidates had been barred from filing their nominations.
The Calcutta High Court had on Friday directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to extend the date of nominations for Panchayat polls. The SEC issued a fresh notification on Saturday announcing April 23 as the new date for filing nominations to the three-tier panchayat elections. "
The filing of nominations, which began at 11 am, continued till 3 PM on Monday.
Violence was reported from several parts of Bengal including Birbhum, North 24 Parganas, Malda etc with even senior opposition leaders allegedly being targetted by ruling party.
A BJP worker was killed in Siuri, in Birbhum district of the state, considered one of ruling TMC's stronghold. Another person was killed in Gopalnagar, in North 24 Parganas.
The dates for the polls, which were earlier scheduled to be held on May 1, 3 and 5, are yet to be announced by the commission. The nominations received today would be scrutinised on April 25. The last date for the withdrawal of candidature is April 28, the notification had said.
Congress claimed that even MLAs and MPs were attacked by the ruling party workers. Congress chief whip in the Assembly Manoj Chakrabarty was assaulted in Murshidabad, he claimed and alleged that police remained mute spectators.
However, TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee accused the BJP, Congress and CPI(M) of trying to delay the poll process.
(With PTI inputs)
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