CPI(M) demands special observers, enhanced security in West Bengal

“In Belghoria, there have been widespread attacks where our party leaders have been beaten up and hospitalised. The law and order administration is not doing its job. Five people were arrested for their actions in Belghoria but they are out on bail and continuing with their activities,” he said.

The CPI(M) has also demanded that all listed history sheeters be immediately taken into preventive custody in order to ensure that they don't move about freely intimidating and threatening voters and polling officials.

He said that the polling agents of opposition parties were being threatened, and at places there were announcements through public address systems saying that no polling agent other than the TMC would be allowed in the polling booths.

“This is an information we have just received. So we have orally communicated to the EC. This is totally unprecedented.

“You cannot have a situation where 24 hours before the election or evening before the polling, you can publicly announce, and people who indulge in this go scot free,” he said.

“...that legitimate bonafide polling agents... whose identity with their photographs are established by EC.., they are being threatened like this. This is an unprecedented situation where it is a mockery of election. We want the EC to immediately step into the matter,” he said.

He said that out of 40,000 state government employees engaged in election duties, only 12,000 have been issued postal ballot or election duty certificate. Additionally 18,300 employees of health department who also have been assigned election duty have not been issued these certificates.

“We request that this anomaly be immediately corrected and the personnel deputed to discharge election duties are not deprived of their democrative right to vote,” he said.

Yechury said the CEC has assured his party that action will be taken. He said that in the last two phases in West Bengal, large scale complaints were recieved but nothing substantial has been done.

“We told EC that their record cannot be allowed to go with a blemish...that it has not taken proper action in West Bengal..We hope EC will rise to the occasion,” he said.
On a question about alliances, the CPI(M) leader said that consultations with other parties go on all the time. The real consultation will begin only when the polling process is over and they will pick up momentum when the counting completes, he said.