BJP claims to be victim of police and CPI (M) during East Tripura elections
Agartala, : The ruling BJP in Tripura has alleged that a section of police worked directly to benefit the CPI (M) during the elections, after voting in the state concluded on Tuesday.
Police arrested a presiding officer from a polling booth in Dharmanagar in North Tripura who was found pressing EVM buttons in the name of helping the voters.
Immediately, BJP polling agent objected to it but polling agents of CPI (M) and Congress and micro observers stood behind him and attempted to justify his act. However, other polling personnel reported it to election authority and immediately and he was arrested.
Addressing the media BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharjee claimed after elections to both West and East Tripura parliamentary constituencies the party was convinced that the opposition cadres had been involved in manipulation of election process, including booth capturing, rigging and camouflaging identities in connivance with a section of officials and police.
“We have also got inputs from our sources, which revealed that most of the accused persons were not from BJP. For the last one year CPI(M) had been working strategically to malign BJP. To this end they had introduced their own cadres in our party to use them in various criminal activities. This election has exposed this strategy of CPI (M) and their beneficiaries working in the government,” Mr Bhattacharjee stated.
He, however, pointed out that BJP delegation asked for video footage of election held on April 11 last in West Tripura from the CEO and ECI to identify the persons who were seen disrupting poll process. “From the beginning we were insistent that the CEO and the election machinery arrested the criminals involved in unlawful activities during polling in West Tripura without considering their political identity, but still it did not happen. We hope immediate action will be initiated against the criminals who have brought bad name to Tripura and our party,”Mr Bhattacharjee said.
He charged deputy leader of opposition in the assembly and former minister Badal Choudhury for attacking BJP workers in the last hours of election in Hrishamukh area of Belonia in South Tripura yesterday. The CPI (M) used its sympathisers in police department for beating up the BJP supporters and using police van to carry their voters in South Tripura.
“A section of officers in civil administration and some police officers, who got their jobs only because of their commitment and allegiance towards CPI (M), blatantly engaged in illegal activities in this election. With their support, the criminals did some mischief during elections and these are the elements which have been working against the BJP-IPFT government since the first day,” he added.
Bhattacharjee also alleged that police moblised central paramilitary forces to attack BJP workers during election yesterday at three locations of Khowai, Jolaibari and Hrishamukh in South Tripura, Udaipur and Amarpur in Gomati district with the instruction of Badal Choudhury and other top CPI (M) leaders.
He said that the security personnel led by a local police suddenly stormed a house in Sabroom, where a marriage ceremony was going on, and ransacked the venue during lunch hour yesterday. Police accused them of illegal assembly and violation of 144 of CrPC.
“At least 16 people of BJP were injured in police and CIP (M) attacks in Sabroom, Jolaibari and Hrishamukh, while two persons were injured in polling booths of Khowai during East Tripura elections. There were several attempts in various locations to create law and order problem till late last night but our people did not react,” he complained, adding that each of the cases were reported to ECI in detail with specific names. He said if the accused were not booked the party would decide the next course of action.
However, both CPI (M) and Congress expressed satisfaction over yesterday’s election, which recorded 83 percent turns out.
UNI.