Allotment of candidates for civic polls against payment of Rs 1L: TMC demands probe

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress MLA Tapas Chatterjee demanded an inquiry into the conversation allegedly exchanged between two BJP supporters over allotment of tickets against payment of Rs 1 lakh per seat for the civic polls in Siliguri at the state assembly on Tuesday.

"It is a black spot in the history of democracy if there is really money exchanged for allotment of tickets. I apprehend that if such things happen during a municipal election then similar things might happen in Assembly elections too. So, I have placed a proposal for a probe into the matter and the Honourable Assembly Speaker will decide on how the matter can be probed," Chatterjee, an MLA from Rajarhat New Town said.

Chatterjee said the allegations have surfaced against a party (BJP) that indulges in tall talks regarding investigating agencies. Chatterjee's views were endorsed by Trinamool Congress' Naihati MLA Partha Bhowmick.

An audio clipping of the telephonic conversation between two BJP supporters, Pritam and Raktim went viral on Sunday morning. The two were heard talking

on allotment of tickets against payment of Rs 1 lakh per seat in the civic poll in Siliguri.

Millennium Post, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of the video. Brushing aside the allegation, Sukanta Majumdar, state BJP president said: "It is the work of TMC to malign BJP before the civic election." He said

the BJP candidates are selected by the central leadership and no individual has any role to play in giving tickets to the individuals.