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BJP alleges 'fake voting' in Bhabanipur; says party accepts defeat 'gracefully'

'BJP will continue to fight regressive politics of TMC and Mamata Banerje'

mamata-win-salil West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee | Salil Bera

Reacting to the landslide victory of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur by-poll with a record margin of 58,835 votes, and the performance of the TMC in two other by-elections in the state, the BJP said the outcome of the polls was not in line with the party's expectations, but the BJP accepts the defeat gracefully. The party claimed that there was “fake voting” in Bhabanipur.

In a statement, the saffron party said, “After being demolished in Nandigram, Mamata Banerjee may have survived in Bhabanipur for now, but it has never happened that a losing candidate chose to thrust herself as the chief minister, in violation of all democratic norms and proprietary. The by-election itself had been declared at the behest of Mamata Banerjee’s government's Chief Secretary amidst the prevailing COVID-19 situation, even as West Bengal was recuperating from the goriest of
post-poll violence ever witnessed in any state in the history of independent India.”

The party claimed that the by-polls were “held under an overbearing state administration, with dark shadow of fear, intimidation and gloom of the post poll violence hanging over the electorate.” Accusing the state administration of being partisan, the BJP said in the statement, “The impartiality of the state administration was evident during the election campaign of BIP candidate who was stopped at various places in the poll-going constituency, disregarding ‘the basic right of an election candidate to reach out to one’s electorate.”

The BJP claimed that the TMC workers unleashed violence on its party workers with the support of ministers and intimidated people from coming out to vote. “Sadly, the Election Commission did nothing to allay the fears of the voters. The polls, particularly in Bhabanipur, were marred by rampant fake voting. BIP candidate even apprehended such voters, but were allowed to escape under supervision of Kolkata police under political pressure from the TMC,” the party said.

The party said despite the electoral outcome, there is gross discontent of people in Bhabanipur and in in most other parts of state owing to “dilapidated roads, crumbling infrastructure to overflowing drainage system, and worsening law and order situation.”

The party said continued violations of democratic norms, electoral code of conduct and violence won't be able to save the Trinamool Congress in the long run, and added that the party “will continue to fight tooth and nail against such democratic irregularities and won't stop till rule of law is restored in West Bengal.”

The BJP will continue to fight the regressive politics of TMC and Mamata Banerjee, the party said.

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