Bengal panchayat polls: CPI(M) alleges malpractices in counting of votes at Burdwan, Howrah

As the ruling Trinamool Congress is on its way to capture majority of the gram panchayats in rural Bengal, the opposition CPI(M) alleged "large-scale malpractices" during counting of votes in Burdwan and Howrah districts.

Kolkata: As the ruling Trinamool Congress is on its way to capture majority of the gram panchayats in rural Bengal, the opposition CPI(M) on Monday alleged "large-scale malpractices" during counting of votes in Burdwan and Howrah districts.

CPI-M state secretary Biman Bose said the malpractices were adopted by the TMC in particular with the help of a section of the police and State Election Commission agents. "We have definite reports that the TMC resorted to large-scale malpractices during counting of votes at Ausgram I and II, Raina I and II, Burdwan I, Memari I and II and Jamalpur blocks with the help of a section of the police and State Election Commission agents," Bose said at the party office here. He alleged that such electoral malpractices had served as a `reminder` of the rigged polls during Congress regime in 1972. Regretting that complaints to the State Election Commission had been of "no effect", Bose said that Left front counting agents were forcibly removed under threat by many counting centres spread across the two districts. He further alleged that a CPI(M) worker Bablu Sil was abducted from Memari during the counting period. "Ballot papers with counterfoils were found while opening ballot boxes in a counting centre at Andal block is another instance of electoral malpractice," the CPI(M) leader said, alleging that there had been "false voting" in Andal block. Bose said that the SEC had been moved by the party about electoral malpractices at Bangan I and II and Amta I and II blocks. PTI