CPI-M complains to EC about threat to its activist

The CPI-M Friday urged the Election Commission to take action against supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress who allegedly threatened a party worker, saying they would "put an end to his poll campaigns".

In a memorandum to chief electoral officer Sunil Gupta, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) candidate from Jadavpur, Sujan Chakraborty, complained that "a few miscreants and supporters of the Trinamool, led by Pulak Chaudhury accosted Buddhadev Ghosh, a CPI-M convenor under the Jadavpur assembly seat".

"These persons abused Buddhadev using filthy language and threatened him saying they would put an end to his campaigns in the election and will also eliminate him after the election is over," the letter said.

It said: "Subsequently Buddhadev informed the duty officer at Patuli parliamentary seat about the incident over the phone."

Amit Roy Chaudhury, officer on special duty in the CEO's office here, confirmed the submission of the deputation.

Chakraborty has appealed to the Commission to "put a stop to the discriminatory actions of the state administration and ensure an ambience of free and peaceful election by taking due steps against the miscreants who are impeding the process of a peaceful election campaign".

The party has accused the Patuli duty officer of inaction regarding this incident and others before.

Meanwhile, the poll officials here forwarded the complaint, lodged by a section of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's family against Netaji's grandnephew Sugata Bose, a Trinamool candidate, to the Commission in Delhi.

A few members had accused the Harvard professor of taking undue advantage of the family name during campaigning.

The Commission also said a total of Rs.5,80,84,610 has been seized as unaccounted cash by the Income Tax department since the March 5 announcement of the polls.