Trinamool used intimidation to win panchayat polls: CPI-M

Attacking West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress, CPI-M leader Surya Kanta Mishra Monday slammed the party for winning one-third of the seats in the recent West Bengal panchayat polls through malpractices and one-third through intimidation.

The Trinamool's victory is a "farce", with the result a "manufactured one", said Mishra, the leader of opposition in the assembly.

"The TMC won about 6,000 seats without any contest as they did not allow our candidates to file nomination papers. Another 6,000 candidates who filed nomination paperswere forced to withdraw...and if we consider electoral malpractices on one one-third of seats, the election turned out to be a farce," Mishra told reporters at the assembly.

"Thousands of candidates who contested the polls were prohibited from entering their villages and found shelter in other areas," he added.

The Trinamool won absolute majority in the zilla parishads in 13 of 17 districts, virtually reversing the script five years ago when the Left got 13 zilla parishads and the Trinamool and the Congress two each.

Mishra alleged that fresh ballot papers are being printed to counter the difference in the number of votes cast in the boxes and the final outcome of the polls.

"We have received reports that fresh ballot papers are being printed afresh. We have heard that re-polls are held after polling but have never heard of a situation where re-polling is done even after the counting is over," said Mishra adding that such reports have come from districts like Bardhman.

"We will not be able provide all evidences required to establish the allegations but the fact that State Election Commission has still not been able to upload the results on its website is a clear evidence," he observeda.

Earlier in the day, the Left Front members walked out of the Assembly protesting against the Speaker Biman Banerjee disallowing an adjournment motion, demanding discussions on irregularities in the counting process as also attacks and abductions of elected Left Front members.