Congress monitoring cell to watch TMC attempts to influence EC

Congress in West Bengal would set up a "monitoring cell" to keep watch on any attempt by the ruling Trinamool Congress to "influence" the Election Commission during the Lok Sabha election process.
"We are setting up this monitoring cell to foil any attempt by the ruling Trinamool Congress to influence the Election Commission during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said.
He told reporters after a meeting of the executive of the Pradesh Congress Committee here today that the monitoring cell would consist of a number of senior party leaders, among whom are Manas Bhunia and Nirbed Roy.

Chowdhury, however, clarified when asked by reporters if the setting up of the cell amounted to lack of confidence in the EC, saying, "Taking a lesson from the past, we have to keep a tab on the TMC, but we don't have any doubt about the integrity of the poll panel."
Chowdhury, who is also the Union Minister of State for Railways, said his party would dispel Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegation that West Bengal was being deprived by the Centre.
"It is absolutely untrue," Chowdhury said, demanding that the government publish a white paper on the state's various demands in the last two and a half years and exact allocation by the Centre on each and every central project including PMGSY and MGNREGA.

He alleged that the government had failed to implement Food Security Act and complete the process of Aadhar cards in West Bengal.

Chowdhury said the party's full list of candidates would be published by March 12, noting that candidates for 17 seats had already been announced.
"Our target will be to retain the existing six seats in the state and increase the number as much as possible," he said.
He said that Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi as well as many senior leaders would visit the state for campaigning.
Chowdhury claimed that film stars and celebrities getting TMC nominations proved two things. "The party is facing an acute crisis of leadership and the party chief can't rely on the existing leaders."

He said Congress did not discuss with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha any seat-sharing pact.
The Minister also said that the issue of former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin's candidacy in the LS election from the state was yet to be settled.