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West Bengal BJP President and MP Samik Bhattacharya on Monday urged the Election Commission to ensure fair elections in the state.
He said voters should be able to participate without fear amid what he described as a politically influenced administration hampering investigations and destroying evidence. Speaking to ANI in the national capital, Bhattacharya said, "It is the Election Commission's responsibility to conduct fair elections. It is the Election Commission's responsibility to provide the people of West Bengal with a flawless voter list, removing intimidation and allowing them to participate in elections in a fear-free environment." "In West Bengal, there is nothing called administration. Instead of cooperating with the CBI inquiries into post-poll violence, the police are confiscating all evidence, erasing it, and threatening people to withdraw the FIR. This is a totally politicised administration. Party and administration are not separate, so conducting elections in such a place is difficult. Therefore, the Election Commission has made a decision," he said. Polling in the State is set to be held in two phases on April 23 and 29, with the counting of votes for both phases to be conducted on May 4, setting the stage for a high-stakes contest between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari will contest from Nandigram, where he defeated Mamata Banerjee in 2021, and from Bhabanipur, the constituency currently represented by the TMC chief, as per the first list of 144 candidates released by the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) today for the upcoming West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections. BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul will contest from Asansol Dakshin, actor-turned-politician Rudranil Ghosh is set to run from Shibpur, and BJP MLA Bankim Chandra Ghosh will contest from Chakdaha. West Bengal has 294 Assembly seats, and the party is expected to announce the remaining candidates soon. (ANI)
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