Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’ Brien wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner on Monday, 22 March, alleging that Bharatiya Janata Party’s Suvendu Adhikari is ‘harbouring criminals’ in Nandigram, just days before polling begins in the state for the high-stakes Assembly elections.
“It has come to our knowledge that Suvendu Adhikari, candidate fielded by Bharatiya Janata Party, Nandigram AC-210, has been harbouring criminals who are non-residents of Nandigram,” read O’ Brien’s letter to the poll body, listing four locations.
The locations, as listed in the letter, include the house of one Kalipada Shee; house of one Meghnath Pal, Haripur, house of onePabitra Kar, Boyal-1; and, house of Bhojohari one Samanta, Boyal MSK Area.
“Locally, police has been informed of this, however no steps have been taken yet,” the TMC leader said, calling the poll body to “immediately intervene and direct necessary steps to be taken by police to forthwith apprehend all the outside anti-social elements hired and harboured by Suvendu Adhikari.”
Battleground Nandigram
Nandigram would see West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee squaring off against Suvendu Adhikari in the most-watched battle of this election.
Adhikari was, until recently, a minister in the TMC government. Ahead of the elections, he switched sides and joined the BJP, which has emerged as a strong challenger of the Mamata-led TMC.
Elections in West Bengal will be held across eight phases, starting 27 March, with the results to be declared on 2 May.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)