Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's campaign in Bengal scheduled for April 23 has been cancelled.
Congress sources said they did not get permission to hold the rallies in Kolkata and Serampore.
The Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar, the party nominee for the Serampore Assembly seat alleged the party nominees were being denied permission to hold large meetings.
"On April 8, Mamata Banerjee addressed a meeting at the same venue. But for Rahul Gandhi's meeting we did not get permission."
Congress sources said Rahul was scheduled to address a rally each in Kolkata and Serampore.
The Congress, which is contesting the Bengal polls on its own in Bengal, after two decades, had decided on Park Circus maidan or Metiabruz as the venue of Rahul's address.
Sources said the Kolkata Municipal Corporation had passed a resolution to keep the ground free from political rallies.
Incidentally, in the run up to the 2016 Assembly elections, Rahul had last addressed an election rally in the city at the Park Circus venue. He had shared the dais with the former chief minister of Bengal the late Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
The next choice Metiabruz did not work oit as Trinamool's national general secretary has a campaign event in the minority-dominated locality close to Kolkata.
"We checked in the EC's Suvidha app. Metiabruz is out of bounds on Thursday," said a Congress leader.
On the reported cancellation of Rahul's meetings in the absence of permission, state industries minister and Trinamool spokesperson Shashi Panja said the authority for granting permissions was with the Election Commission. "All application for public meetings needs to be sent through Suvidha Portal within two-seven days. This rule applies to all public meetings. All political parties need to take permission like this. Caretaker government cannot answer why permission was not granted. Only the commission can."
Sources said for any permission for a meeting the poll panel seeks report from the local police station.
Congress sources said efforts were on to bring Rahul to Kolkata for campaigning after Thursday, when polls will be held in 152 seats in Bengal.
