373 in fray for 44 seats in West Bengal

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, April 9

Forty-four (44) constituencies spread across five districts of West Bengal will go to the polls tomorrow in the fourth phase of the eight-phase Assembly polls under way in the state.

‘Shah trying to incite violence’

Memari: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged Home Minister Amit Shah was trying to incite violence in the state and egging the police to engage in unethical acts. The TMC supremo advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi to control him. “I have not seen such a gunda (gangster), dangabaaz (rioteer) home minister in my entire life. Amit Shah is more dangerous than a tiger. I urge PM to control him first. He is inciting riots here,” she said while addressing a rally. PTI

EC notice to Didi for remarks against CAPF

New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) has issued a notice to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her alleged remarks against the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and asked her to respond by 11 am on Saturday. According to officials in the poll panel, the EC said the completely false, provocative and intemperate statements made by her attempted to berate and vilify central paramilitary forces during the electoral process. TNS

After more or less peaceful voting in the first two phases, violence has crept in since the third phase. TMC candidates Sujata Mandal, Najibul Karim and Nirmal Majhi and BJP candidate Papiya Adhikari were assaulted by political opponents during the third phase of polling on April 6.

On Wednesday, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh’s car was attacked by alleged TMC supporters. Ghosh sustained injuries in the attack that took place in the Sitalkuchi area in Cooch Behar. Girindra Nath Barman, TMC candidate from Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar, was assaulted and seriously injured by alleged BJP goons on Thursday.

Taking note of the violence, the ECI has decided to deploy an unprecedented number of central paramilitary forces on Saturday during polling.

Cooch Behar and Alipurduar, two north Bengal districts with nine and five Assembly seats, respectively, will go to the polls on Saturday.

North Bengal is considered a stronghold of the BJP.

A total of 373 candidatee will be vying for the 44 seats. Prominent faces in the fray in this phase include Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Abdul Mannan from Champdani, BJP leader Manoj Tighga from Madarihat, Congress leader Deboprasad Roy from Alipurduar, CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty from Jadavpur and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Mohammed Salim from Chanditala.

Cricketer Manoj Tiwary from Shibpur on a TMC ticket, footballer Bidesh Ranjan Bose (TMC) from Uluberia Purba and senior journalist Rantidev Sengupta (BJP) from Howrah Dakshin are also trying their luck in the fourth phase.

One of the most high-profile contest under way in the fourth phase is the fight for the Tollygunge constituency in Kolkata, where the BJP has fielded Union Minister Babul Supriyo against sitting TMC representative Aroop Biswas. Biswas, a minister in Mamata Banerjee-led the West Bengal Government, has been winning from Tollygunge for the last three terms.