TMC delegation meets SEC, files complaint against Dilip Ghosh

Kolkata: A Trinamool Congress delegation on Thursday met the State Election Commissioner, registering a complaint against state BJP president Dilip Ghosh for instigating violence.

The delegation team briefed State Election Commissioner A K Singh on how the BJP leaders were trying to spread communal violence ahead of the Panchayat polls. It also brought to the notice of the commission that no political leader can make such derogatory comments as those being made by BJP's state chief.

While speaking to the media, Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee pointed fingers at Dilip Ghosh without taking his name and said that he has been constantly trying to trigger violence through his speeches.

"No political party leader can make the statements he has been making. He is threatening to take people to the crematorium. His derogatory statements will hardly have any impact on the people in Bengal," Chatterjee said.

Taking a dig at the Opposition parties, Chatterjee said: "The Opposition parties are saying that they were unable to file their nominations but the figures are contrary to their claim. BJP filed more nominations than Trinamool Congress did for the Zilla Parishad seats. The CPI-M and Congress have also filed their nominations. In some places, CPI-M activists were seen marching with arms to scare the people."

"The Opposition parties are talking about safe democracy. Had there been no democracy in the state, the Opposition parties would not have filed more nominations than the ruling Trinamool Congress," Chatterjee maintained.

"Our delegation has told State Election Commissioner A K Singh that the Opposition was trying to mount pressure on the commission by the hue and cry over the process of filing nominations," Chatterjee told the media after the meeting. The delegation team comprised of Partha Chatterjee, Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Jyotipriya Mallick and Nirmal Ghosh.

Shantanu Mukherjee, additional secretary, state election commission said that around 50 serious complaints have been received by the commission so far. Observers are being deployed at the nomination venues, SDO and BDO offices.

Incidents of Model Code of Conduct violations have been reported from 4-5 places. The issues are being looked into. Any such complaint will be dealt with strongly. To ensure free and fair nominations, section 144 has been imposed within the 200 meter radius of nomination venues.

Out of the total of 825 seats in the Zilla Parishad (ZP), 143 nominations have been filed so far, among which Trinamool has filed 29, BJP 40, CPI-M 19, BSP 8, Congress 15, Forward Block 1 and others 29.