EC slams Mamata Banerjee on Nandigram conduct, warns of action

Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s conduct at a polling station in the Nandigram constituency on April 1 has come under the Election Commission scanner and the poll body has dismissed her allegations of disruption of polling at the booth.

The EC has called Banerjee’s handwritten complaint as “factually incorrect” and “devoid of substance” and said they were contemplating action under the model code of conduct and the Representation of the People Act, the NDTV has reported.

Banerjee has been accusing the EC of playing a partisan role, which replaced the state police chief. On the day of polls in Nandigram – where Banerjee is contesting against BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari – there was massive chaos in a booth, where she was restricted for about two hours. A huge contingent of police arrived to where she was and led her out, as people from Trinamool and the BJP gathered outside the booth and the situation turned tense. Banerjee has accused the EC of failing to maintain law and order during elections.

On Sunday, the EC said that Banerjee’s action at the polling booth had “immense potential to have adverse effect on the law and order across West Bengal and maybe in some other states”.

“It is a matter of deep regret that a media narrative was sought to be weaved hour after hour to misguide the biggest stakeholders which is the voters by a candidate who also happens to be the honourable CM… All this was done when the election process was/is on. There could not have been a greater misdemeanour,” read the Commission’s response.

“It is being separately examined whether happenings of 1.4.2021 merit any action under sections 131 and 123(2) of RP Act and/or under Model Code of Conduct,” the Commission added. Section 131 in the Representation of the People Act calls for penalty for disorderly conduct in or near polling stations with a three-month jail term and/or a fine.