Kolkata : A day after the West Bengal State Election Commission (SEC) rejected the opposition parties’ demands for repolls, the BJP on Wednesday said it was exploring legal options on the Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls, terming it “a joke on democracy”.
“The April 18 polls have become a joke on democracy, so we have decided to explore legal option against this. The Trinamool Congress’ intentions are clear that it will continue to turn the polls into a farce,” Bharatiya Janata Party national secretary and party-in charge for the state Siddharth Nath Singh said.
“Time and again the administration has proved that it will only be hand-in-glove with the Trinamool in this. It seems there is no distinction between the administration and the Trinamool.
Singh also accused Trinamool supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of surpassing former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad in establishing “jungle raj” in the state.
“Lalu had established jungle raj in Bihar and Mamataji is someone who has beaten him in this, to take the first prize,” he added.
Despite the Left Front, the BJP and the Congress complaining of widespread violence and terror by the Trinamool, State Election Commissioner S.R. Upadhyay on Tuesday rejected their demands for repolling in several booths.
State BJP president Rahul Sinha had earlier written to the poll panel seeking cancellation of the entire poll process and holding the exercise afresh with adequate deployment of central security forces.
Meanwhile, Upadhyay met governor K.N. Tripathi and discussed arrangements for the polls to 91 municipalities across the state to be held on April 25.
“I was summoned by the governor to discuss about the municipal polls. He wanted to know about the entire poll process and I informed him of the same,” Upadhyay told mediapersons after meeting the governor.
Upadhyay said he has also informed the governor about the incident involving a policeman who received a bullet injury while trying to prevent a clash during the April 18 polls.
The poll panel chief said the central security forces will not be deployed during the April 25 polls.