Nandigram, Oct 6 (IANS) As voting for the by-elections began in West Bengal’s Nandigram on Tuesday, Congress candidate Milan Pradhan alleged that, even when everyone has the right to vote, hooligans are threatening his workers and supporters.
Pradhan returned to campaigning after securing interim bail from the Calcutta High Court in connection with cases dating back to the 2007 Nandigram agitation.
Speaking to IANS, Pradhan said, “In this election, look, this is a by-election. In this by-election, every citizen has to vote. There is freedom.”
“Since last night and the day before, hooliganism has been going on here. My agents are being picked up and taken away; they are threatening them, and they forcibly took away papers. What is this? This is not right. This is not a system of freedom,” he added.
“We have filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India. However, we are not getting any response,” Pradhan said.
The Nandigram bypoll was necessitated after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who had won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in this year’s Assembly elections, chose to retain Bhabanipur and vacated the Nandigram seat.
The counting is scheduled for October 9.
The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath, mother of slain Adhikari aide Chandranath Rath, as its Nandigram candidate. Chandranath Rath was killed in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas, on May 6.
Earlier on Monday, the ECI ordered the immediate replacement of the inspector-in-charge (IC) of Nandigram Police Station in East Midnapore district.
Ajay Kumar Mishra, who was serving as the IC of Nandigram Police Station, has been replaced by Debasish Sarkar, who was the IC of the traffic control room in East Midnapore district.
In a statement issued on Monday afternoon, the Commission directed that the transfer be implemented immediately and a compliance report be submitted to it by Monday evening. The ECI did not disclose the reason for the sudden change. The timing of Mishra’s removal, just a day before polling, has also drawn attention.
–IANS
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