Bar Trinamool candidates from polls: Opposition to EC after sting

The BJP, CPI-M and Congress on Monday urged the Election Commission to cancel the candidature of Trinamool Congress leaders in the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal in the wake of a sting operation that claimed several ruling party leaders accepted bribes.

BJP leader Ashim Sarkar said the Trinamool's entire candidature should be cancelled.

"The video has revealed the party's real face," he told the media after an all-party meeting with the full bench of the Election Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi.

The full bench met nine political parties on a one-to-one basis on Monday evening.

Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Rabin Deb said the party submitted the video of the reported sting operation to the chief election commissioner.

"Some of the leaders shown in the video accepting bribes are contesting in the assembly polls. They should not be allowed to contest," Deb said.

Alleging that the Trinamool was "trying to influence voters" by participating in the route marches conducted by central forces, CPI-M's Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharjee said the EC was informed of the ruling party's "wrong practices".

Ahead of the meeting, state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said he would take up the matter up with the EC.

Trinamool leader Mukul Roy said the EC has not asked the party for any explanation on the matter.

"We have also submitted certain documents to the EC. In addition, we brought up the issue of the lengthy election procedure in Bengal," he said after the meeting.

Former Supreme Court judge A.K. Ganguly, who has extended support to two independent candidates -- Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra and Pratima Dutta, wife of murdered green activist Tapan Dutta -- said he had requested the commission to take care of all pending FIRs.