Free, fair polls in Bengal a distant reality: TMC

Kolkata/New Delhi: Alleging that fair elections in West Bengal are becoming a distant reality, a delegation of TMC MPs met the Election Commission on Friday to register their protest against the poll panel's reported decision to not permit state police personnel within 100 metres of polling stations.

The TMC parliamentary delegation, including Saugata Roy, Yashwant Sinha, Md Nadimul Haque, Pratima Mondal and Mahua Moitra, described the Election Commission's approach as partisan and biased.

"On the first count, it has been reported in media that the ECI has decided to not permit presence of State police within 100 m of polling stations and only deploy Central Forces in such arena. If true, this decision is unprecedented and casts severe aspersions on the reputation of the police administration in the State of West Bengal," it added.

Mamata Banerjee, dialing up her campaign pitch against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders touring Bengal for polls, referred to "Duryodhana and Dushasana". She also appeared to call her former party man turned BJP rival in Nandigram, Suvendu Adhikari, "Mir Jafar".

"Say farewell to BJP, we don't want BJP. We don't want to see Modi's face. We don't want riots, looters, Duryodhan, Dushasana... Mir Jafar," the Chief Minister said at a rally in East Midnapore. "On March 27, Khela Hobe (game on). BJP has to be bowled out."

Mamata Banerjee railed against her former lieutenant Suvendu Adhikari, who joined the BJP in December, accusing him of betraying her when she trusted him blindly.