'BJP brought in people from B'desh, other states'

Partha Chatterjee, Secretary General of the Trinamool Congress, said they would move to the State Election Commission as they found Border Security Force (BSF) trying to influence voters. He also condemned the move of bringing in "outsiders" from neighbouring country and states for election purpose.

Within an hour of the election, police received information that there was an attempt of rigging in the polling station at Amdoh High School in Asaru Gram Panchayat at Bagdah in North 24-Parganas.

The polling station where the incident took place is situated in a village close to the India-Bangladesh border.

The attempt was made on early Monday morning. But the attempt was foiled as locals built up strong resistance. As soon as the locals came to know that some "outsiders" have entered the school premises with the intention of rigging, they came out of their houses and went to the polling station.

Police came to know after speaking to them while carrying out the preliminary investigation that there was a large gathering.

Though most of them had managed to flee, locals managed to catch around seven of them. They were manhandled and even two were critically injured.

Jyotipriya Mallick, Trinamool Congress president of the district and the state Food and Supplies minister, said: "BJP has brought in hundreds of people from Bangladesh to create trouble during the Panchayat polls on Monday. They have come to capture booths and they were brought in under the leadership of local BJP leaders including Kartik Ghosh and Horen Ghosh. But it is the local people who have built resistance against them."

He further said that he already knew that the BJP would take such a step and the latter had invested a good amount of money for the same. "It is the duty of the BSF to guard the border," he said in this connection adding that it was not only limited to Bagdah.

"There were outsiders in areas including Habra where 15 to 20 people were given shelter in some of the houses. Around 150 people entered Habra from outside," he said.

It may be recalled that allegations of bringing in people from Jharkhand had also cropped up against the BJP earlier when a youth was killed in Birbhum during filing of nomination. Similar allegation also cropped up during the trouble at Nalhati as well.

Allegation of attacking a polling booth to take away ballot boxes at Mohammadbazar in Bibhum has also evolved against the BJP.

There were also allegations of beating up polling officials. The situation was, however, brought under control after a team of policemen went to the spot.

There was also allegations of attacking Trinamool Congress workers at Nandigram in East Midnapore.

The authorities would look into all the allegations including the one raised by Mallick and would take necessary steps based on their findings.