BJP memorandum submitted to ECI

20-05-2019
Press Release

May 20th 2019                                                                     BJP/ECC/2019/133

The Chief Election Commissioner of India & Election Commissioners,

Election Commission of India

Nirvachan Sadan, Ashoka Road

New Delhi – 110001

Subject: WEST BENGAL-SEVENTH PHASE POLLS

Sirs,

As much as we had hoped that the seventh and the last phase of polls would pass without incidents of violence and rigging, yet we were unfortunately proved wrong. The TMC under leadership of Ms. Mamata Banerjee has unleashed a reign of terror to intimidate voters. Ms. Banerjee and her party are the biggest threat to Indian democracy today. The seventh phase of polls which concluded yesterday too witnessed widespread violence, chappa, booth capturing, rigging etc.  The incidents are mentioned hereunder:

  1. In Diamond Harbour PC
    1. PC candidate Sh. Nilanjay Ray was attacked and his vehicle vandalized by the TMC Bike Bahini. Media report of the same is available online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEoaJrJvmk8 annexed hereto and marked Annexure-1 Video of the Major incidents were also reported from Falta AC (144) where our polling agent was driven out of polling booth nos. 156, 157, 158 by armed goons. Such incidents have also been reported from Budge Budge AC, and Satgachia AC
    2. In Kolkata Uttar PC, widespread incidents of violence were reported from Entally AC, Shyampukur AC, and Jorasanko AC. In Entally AC booth numbers 212 to 223 and 242 to 252 were taken over by TMC goons. Our candidate Sh. Rahul Sinha was also heckled outside the polling booth. There was a bomb blast on Rabindra Sarani which falls under Posta area of Jorasanko AC at around 11:30 AM by TMC goons who came on bikes and hurled bombs. 
  2. In Jadavpur PC,
    1. Our candidate Sh. Anupam Hazra was accosted and heckled at the polling booth by TMC Mahila Bahini who deliberately and with a mala fide wanted to create a ruckus at the polling booth.
    2. At one polling booth, on the EVM machine, blue ink had been marked beside the TMC symbol.
    3. It was also seen on a media report that a woman voter leaving the polling booth claimed that she was not allowed to cast her vote and that one of the TMC Mahila Bahini members came and forcefully cast her vote.
    4. One of our leaders’ cars was also vandalized and glass broken. In Bhangar AC nearly 20 seats have been affected. 
    5. In Baruipur AC a TMC booth president namely Ajijur Rehman at around 10:20 AM was seen influencing voters to vote for TMC being present inside the polling booth. He was also seen going upto the EVM enclosure and pressing the EVM button.
    6. Chappa voting was also reported. A media report of the same is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2daoFmnjWw is also annexed hereto and marked Annexure -2 

 

  1. In Basirhat PC,
    1. Major incidents of violence and arson was reported especially from Hingalgunj AC, Haroa AC and Sandeshkhali AC.
    2. In Baduria AC TMC workers were seeing pressing the EVM button and preventing voters from exercising their democractic right freely.
    3. QRT teams were also attacked by TMC cadre when they arrived to rest control of the unlawful attempts by the TMC cadre.
  2. In Jaynagar PC, in Kultali AC voters were attacked.
  3. In Mathurapur PC Raidighi AC bombs were hurled to scare voters and safety of voters was at risk. 
  4. In Barasat PC,
    1. In Rajarhat New Town AC, live bombs were found in buckets. Newspaper report of the same is annexed hereto and marked Annexure -3   video of the same is available online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oLiVUmjrSk annexed hereto and marked Annexure - 4.
    2. In Deganga which is communally charged area bombs were hurled by TMC goons to create panic. Our polling agent was attacked there too.  The TMC candidate Ms. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar was caught on camera arguing with Central forces, threatening them. Video on this incident is available online at https://twitter.com/SuPriyoBabul/status/1130020434429194240 annexed hereto and marked Annexure - 5   . This kind of conduct of TMC candidates has been widely seen throughout the elections time and again. 
  5. In Dum Dum PC widespread reports of booth jamming was received.
  6. From late afternoon through late evening, the party candidate from Barrckpore PC was threatened with arrest in false cases registered by the local police at the behest of TMC. He has constantly under threat of arrest and violence at the hands of local state police.

A comprehensive list of complaints as compiled till 2:50 PM yesterday afternoon is being annexed hereto and marked Annexure – 6 and representation submitted by our State Unit dated 19.5.19 to CEO West Bengal is annexed hereto and marked Annexure – 7.

A summary list of the number of the polling booths where we have sought re-polling starting first phase onwards till the sixth phase is annexed hereto and marked Annexure – 8.

Ms. Mamata Bannerji has openly and repeatedly threatened the people of West Bengal that she will ‘deal’ with them after the conclusion of polls. Given the acrimony, violence and booth capturing by the TMC goons across the state during this entire 7 phases of elections, Bharatiya Janata Party and the innocent people of West Bengal seriously apprehend widespread violence and reprisals against those who may have supported BJP.

We hope that the Commission appreciates that all polls related violence before or even after the conclusion of elections must be strongly checked and TMC, its leaders and goons are not allowed to harass the innocent people and voters of West Bengal. Accordingly, we request the following;

  1. Repolls be ordered in the polling stations; a list of which has been submitted in the past and is being enclosed herewith.
  2. All EVM strong rooms should be guarded by Central Forces and the state forces should not be allowed to come close to the strong rooms. 
  3. We also request you that the CAPF continues to be deployed in West Bengal until the conclusion of the electoral process and formal notifications of the constitution of the new parliament.
  4. While this may prima facie be outside the scope of the Election Commision, the violence and reprisals as apprehended are elections related, it may, in its wisdom also advise the Government of India to continue deployment of CAPF till the state of West Bengal returns to normalcy.

Thanking you,

Yours Sincerely

 

 

Nirmala Sitharaman        Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi                Piyush Goyal

 

Anil Baluni                         Om Pathak                          Neeraj

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