Opposition parties in Bengal demand central forces during Lok Sabha polls

West Bengal’s opposition parties on Thursday urged the Election Commission (EC) to deploy central forces in the state during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections to ensure free and fair polling .

In a meeting with a poll panel team headed by chief election commissioner Sunil Arora, representatives of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and Left parties demanded that the deployed central forces should not be kept under the control of state police officials.

“For the Lok Sabha elections, the CPF should be under the control of EC observer,” said Probir Deb, national council member of the Communist Party of India.

During the meeting, the Opposition parties pressed for their demand by citing the violence that rocked the state during last year’s panchayat elections. The state’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) , had however accused the opposition of orchestrating the clashes.

The TMC submitted a memorandum to the EC team in which it accused the leaders of a “a political party” of making provocative statements to create tension in the state.

“The intention of a particular political party is clear. Create tension by making provocative statements. We appealed to the EC to resist their design,” state minister Tapas Roy said.

A TMC team of party’s general secretary Subrata Bakshi, secretary general Partha Chatterjee and Roy also met the EC delegation.