July 14: The CPM today accused Trinamul of taking out bike rallies in Hooghly, on the eve of a high court hearing regarding a poll panel’s ban on them.

Tomorrow, the state chief secretary and the home secretary are supposed to file separate reports in the high court stating the steps taken to ensure motorcycles are not used in groups for campaigning. Tomorrow, Hooghly will vote in the rural polls.

CPM district secretariat member Rabin Deb today said: “Even today, motorcycle processions were taken out at Haripal and other areas in Hooghly despite the ban.”

Police, however, quoted residents as saying there was no such rally.

Hooghly CPM leader Dulal Bhowmik said Trinamul workers took out a rally of 15 to 20 motorcycles in several CPM pockets, but added that none of the bikes had any flag of the ruling party.

Trinamul president in Hooghly Tapas Dasgupta denied any such motorcycle rally was brought out.

The sub-divisional police officer of Chandernagore, Saikat Ghosh, said: “After receiving the complaint, the police spoke to local people. They said they did not see any motorcycle procession.”

Asked if the election commission would place any report on bike rallies in the court tomorrow, commissioner Mira Pande said: “We are not going to present anything before the court tomorrow regarding bike rallies. The state government has been asked to do so...”

The poll panel has banned bike rallies till the election process gets over.

Panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee said tonight that party workers travelling in motorcycles should not always be construed as bike rallies.