Siliguri, April 23: Senior leaders of Left Front and BJP today alleged that Trinamul was planning violence in the upcoming civic polls to be held in the town on April 25 and has brought "outsiders" to intimidate candidates of other parties and voters.
CPM leader Asok Bhattacharya, who is contesting from ward 6 of the SMC, said today: "We have information that Trinamul has brought in miscreants from outside to create tension and violence in Siliguri on polling day. We have already alerted the administration and want to reiterate that it is entirely the responsibility of police and the administration to ensure free and fair polls."
Bhattacharya, who is being projected as the Left's mayoral probable, said: "I want to make it clear that Trinamul will finish third in ward 6 (the seat he is contesting). Trinamul might dream of securing majority in SMC by bringing in film stars at the campaign. Such a dream will never turn into reality."
The Darjeeling district president of the INTTUC, the Trinamul-backed trade union, Arup Ratan Ghosh has been pitted against Bhattacharya.
S.S. Ahluwalia, the BJP MP from Darjeeling, today said Trinamul would not get a single seat in the SMC if elections are held in a "proper manner."
"Some of the recent remarks on the civic polls by the north Bengal development minister and even the chief minister have left us worried. We are apprehensive that the ruling party might try to capture booths with the help of anti-socials to win the Siliguri Municipal Corporation just like it did in Calcutta," Ahluwalia said.
Yesterday, BJP candidate Chaitali Banerjee, of ward 30, was allegedly assaulted by unidentified youths. "We have expressed our apprehension to the returning officer and expect necessary steps to curb such violence," Ahluwalia said.
Partha Chatterjee, the secretary-general of Trinamul, rubbished the charges raised by the Left and the BJP.
"Those who are raising such baseless allegations have read the writing on the wall. These allegations are nothing but preparatory moves by the Left and the BJP leaders to justify their inevitable defeat at the civic polls," Chatterjee said.
"Such concocted charges, however, will not work as there is no logic why we should bring in miscreants only in these areas when elections would be held in 91 urban local bodies of the state," he added.
