'Check EVMs carefully, be serious about mock poll'

KOLKATA: Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate for Bhowanipore Assembly by – election, has asked party workers to take the mock poll and check Electronic Voting machines (EVMs) seriously.

During her door-to-door campaign, she met the party workers and asked them to check the EVMs carefully and take the mock test seriously. Banerjee had alleged that BJP conspired to defeat her in Nandigram in the 2021 Assembly election. Firhad Hakim, state Transport minister, had earlier said: "Some Mirzafars had backstabbed her (Mamata) in Nandigram." Banerjee is extra cautious this time and has taken the by-poll seriously.

Banerjee, along with Abhishek Banerjee, party's national general secretary and poll strategist Prashant Kishor and Subrata Bakshi, party's state president and Rajya Sabha MP, went to Bhowanipore Sitala Mandir. Banerjee and Abhishek offered prayers and performed 'aarati.'

Earlier, Banerjee had visited Lakshmi Narayan mandir, Gol mandir and a mosque in Kidderpore during her door-to-door campaign, which she started last week.

Braving inclement weather, Banerjee came to the temple straight from Nabanna. She has been taking part in the door-to-door campaign every day after attending office. She talked to the residents of wards 72 and 73. She knows the organisers of all the local clubs by name and being a local resident she is well acquainted with the veteran local political leaders.

Debashis Kumar, Trinamool Congress south Kolkata president, said party workers had been specifically instructed to take the mock poll very seriously and those who would be deployed to check the EVMs would also do it seriously. TMC selected the party workers, who would be deployed at the booths. There are 288 booths in Bhowanipore and per booth four party workers will be deployed. "Party workers have geared up to ensure that didi wins by record margin," Kumar added.

Kartick Banerjee said the workers had been asked to ensure that people go to the polling stations on September 30 to exercise their franchise. During the Assembly election, the poll percentage was 61.63 in Bhowanipore but in the by- election in 2011 it had dropped to 41 per cent as people were reluctant to cast their votes. "We want to change this trend and we are all working to ensure that the voters turn up on September 30," Banerjee said.