Trinamool threatens agitation if votes in civic poll not counted

A day after the West Bengal State Election Commission postponed the vote count indefinitely in three civic bodies following mounting protests over allegations of violence and rampant malpractices, the ruling Trinamool Congress on Monday threatened intensifying its stir unless the counting process began.

Following sustained agitation by the CPI-M led Left Front as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party alleging irregularities and violence, state election commissioner Sushanta Ranjan Upadhyay on Sunday announced putting on hold indefinitely the counting process.

The counting for the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, Asansol Municipal Corporation and wards of the erstwhile Bally Municipality now merged with the Howrah Municipal Corporation, was scheduled for Wednesday.

Led by part secretary general Partha Chatterjee, Trinamool leaders during the day held a demonstration at the state election commission demanding the counting process be held as scheduled.

"The scheduled date for counting was October 7 and we are holding this demonstration demanding the counting process to begin. So long as the date for the counting is not announced and peoples' democratic rights are restored, we will continue our demonstrations," Chatterjee, also the state education minister, told media persons.

"Tomorrow (on Tuesday) we will take out a rally in the city denouncing the CPI-M's politics of violence and disruptions. If by then, the election commission doesn't make any announcement about initiating the counting process, the rally will then head towards the state election commission," he said.

Chatterjee also warned the Raj Bhavan and the SEC against helping out the BJP.

"Those who are providing assistance to the BJP, be it Raj Bhavan, the 'Dili Durbar' or the election commission, they better be beware," he warned.