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Congress leader BK Hariprasad on Sunday said his party is contesting the West Bengal Assembly elections independently and asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has no chance of making electoral inroads in the state.
Speaking to ANI, Hariprasad said West Bengal's political landscape is distinct and cannot be compared with other states. "We are contesting the elections on our own. The politics of West Bengal is very different. There is no chance of the BJP making inroads in the state," he said. Responding to a question on Congress fielding candidates independently after a gap of several years, Hariprasad said the party is fighting alone in the state after a long time and expressed confidence in its position. "We are fighting individually for the first time in 40 years. Bengal's politics is unique. Mamata Banerjee was once in Congress before she left," he said. He further claimed that the BJP would not be able to establish itself in West Bengal, citing the state's cultural and ideological legacy. "BJP cannot gain a foothold here because Bengal is the land of Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Subhash Chandra Bose, and Vivekananda. There's no chance for BJP in Bengal," he added. On claims made by political parties after high voter turnout in the first phase of polling, Hariprasad said the BJP's assertions were influenced by institutions, while TMC's claims were misleading. "BJP is only making such claims because the Election Commission is supporting them. Trinamool's claims are just a 'jumla' (hollow promise). We will see what happens next," he said. When asked about Congress's position in the ongoing elections, Hariprasad said the party is committed to defeating what he described as "communal and corrupt forces". "Under all circumstances, we are committed to defeating communal and corrupt forces," he said. Meanwhile, polling for Phase I of the Assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on Thursday, with West Bengal recording a significantly higher voter turnout of 91.78 per cent, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The high turnout figures underline an active electoral exercise as polling drew to a close amid tight security arrangements across constituencies. The polling for the second phase for the remaining 142 Assembly seats in West Bengal is scheduled for April 29, with counting of votes to take place on May 4. (ANI)
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