he Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday adopted a resolution accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress of indulging in "massive rigging" of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation election.
The election to KMC witnessed yet another round of massive rigging by the ruling Trinamool Congress which mobilised "goondas" from different parts of West Bengal, as per the resolution passed at CPI(M)'s ongoing 21st National Congress here in Andhra Pradesh.
"The West Bengal State Election Commission with all the machinery at its command has remained a silent spectator to the chaos being spread by the ruling party. It has even expressed its helplessness in public," the resolution said. The voters are threatened not to go to polling stations and are prevented from doing so by the ruling party members, it claimed. Incidents of sporadic violence were reported during voting, which is viewed as a "semi-final" to West Bengal Assembly elections due next year.
On the other hand, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee described election to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation as by and large peaceful. "Today's voting was a peaceful one. I'm telling this only after the elections are over," Banerjee told reporters, after visiting the injured Kolkata Police sub-inspector at a city hospital this evening.
Also Read: Kolkata Municipal elections: Violence mars polls, crude bomb hurled near Raj Bhawan
"Voting was held at 144 wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation...There were a few stray incidents at four-five places which were immediately taken care of by the police, for which I thank them," Banerjee said. She appealed to the opposition parties not to "incite unrest for the sake of political gain which would become a reason of trouble for the common man".
Describing the condition of the injured SI as "stable", the chief minister went on to praise him for "good record" in the service. "There was a scuffle at Girish Park where our SI Jagannath Mondal was hit by a bullet on his back. Doctors have seen him and they will take a decision on when to operate him for his injury...Thank God that he is okay. I wish speedy recovery of his," Banerjee said.
Also Read: Kolkata Municipal Elections: Why the race is only for the second spot
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}