New Delhi, A day after the Election Commission cut short the campaign period of nine Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, a BJP delegation comprising Union Ministers Prakash Javadekar, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Vijay Goel met the poll body on Thursday and demanded that stricter actions be taken.
The Election Commission on Wednesday cut short the campaign period of nine Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, which will go to polls on May 19.
“We have told the Election Commission that action taken in West Bengal is inadequate. Stricter steps are needed,’ Mr Javadekar told reporters here.
The move cames a day after violence during a roadshow by Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah on Tuesday in Kolkata and a multitude of clashes, murders and shootings in the run-up to Sunday’s polls. The poll body also took the decision to relieve ADG CID Rajeev Kumar and Principal Secretary, Home, Atri Bhattacharya from their responsibilities.
Poll campaign, the EC ordered, will come to an end at 2200 hours on Thursday, almost 19 hours ahead of the scheduled time.
“We have appealed to the Election Commission that history-sheeters must be taken into preventive custody before polls in West Bengal on Sunday,” Mr Naqvi said.
Mr Javadekar said local police, which was in civil clothes, was pressing buttons of EVMs and forcing the voters to chose candidates against their will.
The Election Commission should act, he said, and exuded confidence that people will vote for the BJP and teach Trinamool Congress Chief Mamta Banerjee a lesson.
Mr Naqvi said there were more than 400 Quick Response Teams, connected with security officials.
‘People should be informed about Quick response Teams and their phone numbers should be displayed and advertised so that complaints can be made if required,’ he said.
The BJP leaders dismissed the Congress allegation that the Election Commission had completely lost its Independence and abdicated its Constitutional integrity.
The saffron party leaders alleged complicity of state machinery in all the wrongdoings taking place in West Bengal during general elections.
To a question, Mr Javadekar said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Party president Amit Shah ‘goonda’ so clearly there is a violation of Model Code of Conduct and she should be stopped immediately.