States »EasPosted at: Mar 31 2021 9:01PM EC issues Prohibitory orders in Nandigram on the eve of second phase Assy poll
Kolkata, Mar 31 (UNI) The Election Commission on Wednesday issued Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC imposed in Nandigram of west Bengal ahead of second phase polling.
“Sec 144 CrPC imposed in East Midnapore till April 2. Assembly of 5 or more persons, excluding people on election duty and voters entitled to vote in designated polling stations is prohibited within 200 meters of polling premises,” Sub-divisional Magistrate, Haldia, East Midnapore in a statement said.
“No cellular/cordless phone, wireless sets shall be allowed within 100 meters of the polling premises except by persons on election duty,” the statement added.
About 130 km south of Kolkata, Nandigram has already proved its importance, vitality and political sensitiveness among the agrarian people, whose resistance against forcibly land acquisition for an economic zone by the Leftists in 2007, finally led to the exit of the CPI(M) led 34 years government in 2011.
Two times Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seeking for her TMC government's third 5-year term surprisingly picked up Nandigram to be her new battleground and forgo her home turf Bhawanipur in south Kolkata for this assembly elections.
Before any second thought of her decision, her former aid turned fierce political foe Suvendu Adhikari took the challenge and convinced his BJP central leaders to put him as party nominee from his old constituency. Suvendu also dared Mamata Banerjee to stick to her decision and face the
electorate.
Fifty-year-old Suvendhu Adhikari, who also hailed from the East Medinipur's Kanthi, swore that he would defeat the TMC supremo by 50,000 votes on April 1 elections or else give up politics.
Adhikari in the 2016 assembly poll on the TMC ticket had defeated his nearest CPI rival with over 80,000 votes where some over 2 lakh voters had cast their franchise.
Since then the political focus for both the TMC and BJP virtually restricted Nandigram and the two rivals, who fought together closely for nearly two decades before parting ways in late 2020, face each other before the voters.
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