Calcutta, April 29: The Election Commission has decided to keep former sports and transport minister Madan Mitra under round-the-clock surveillance ahead of the elections in south Calcutta, including his home constituency of Bhowanipore, tomorrow.

Under the commission's instructions, chief secretary Basudeb Banerjee issued an order for Mitra's surveillance and sent it to the health secretary and correctional services secretary for execution today. The order was implemented from early afternoon.

Kamarhati MLA Mitra, who was shifted to SSKM Hospital on Tuesday from prison following complaints of breathlessness and uneasiness in the chest, will not be able to meet anyone barring his immediate family in the cabin.

Besides, he will not be allowed to access cellphones, landline telephones or the Internet while in hospital.

There were doubts raised by Opposition parties that Mitra may try to influence the voting process, especially in Bhowanipore, from the hospital cabin. "The commission does not want to leave any scope for that," said a Nabanna source.

During the municipal polls last year, Mitra had monitored the electioneering from his bed in the Woodburn block of SSKM.

Trinamul sources said almost all civic candidates in his area were selected by him and he had micromanaged the polls over phone.

The Congress and the Left had urged the commission to restrict and monitor Mitra, who is in judicial custody for his alleged involvement in the Saradha scam.

"The commission should not lift the restrictions after tomorrow. He might try to influence the polls on May 5 as well," said CPM state secretariat member Rabin Deb.

In the hospital, a team of cardiologists and chest specialists today visited Mitra in the second-floor cabin in the cardiology unit.

A patient of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and sleep apnoea, Mitra had high fever apart from breathing distress. "His blood pressure too is very high and it is being monitored," a doctor said.

Around 5pm, the lone visitor for Mitra was his wife Archana. Neither of his two sons turned up.

"The entire floor where Mitra has been kept has been covered with our men from the special branch," said a senior officer from the SSKM police outpost. "No one, barring Mitra's family members, is allowed to come close to the cabin."

Earlier in the day, the commission disallowed Birbhum Trinamul president Anubrata Mondal from coming to SSKM from his Bolpur residence when he sought permission for treatment.

Sources said that around 11am, when Mondal called district magistrate P. Mohangandhi for permission, he was told the commission has disallowed it and he could go only after the elections in Calcutta got over.

"Mondal was complaining of respiratory problems and said he needed urgent attention from the best doctors in SSKM. He was asked to wait till the end of the polls in Calcutta. He did not protest further," said a district official.

The Birbhum Trinamul chief has been under round-the-clock surveillance of the commission since April 16, a day before elections in his district, and has to seek permission for his movement outside his home district till the end of the election process.

Calls to Mondal's phone went unanswered.

"Dada (Mondal) would have liked to contribute in our supreme leader's electoral triumph. He will do what he can from here. His phone usage is not restricted, at least," said a source.

Officers

The Election Commission has removed two police officials ahead of the final phase of polling in Cooch Behar.

Sources confirmed this evening that the subdivisional police officer of Tufanganj and the inspector in charge of Sitai police station had been removed.