"TMC goons tried to influence polls but central forces were able to restrict violence": Suvendu Adhikari

North 24 Parganas (West Bengal) [India], May 13 : After incidents of violence were reported in several parts of West Bengal during polling on Monday in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari claimed that TMC goons were behind the incident, adding that they tried to influence the polls but the central paramilitary forces restricted the violence.
"PM Modi has stated that TMC's approach has been hooliganism and violence. They register fake cases against BJP leaders. The areas that have reported poll violence have been orchestrated by the TMC goons. Central paramilitary forces have given full protection to the booths. ECI has made arrangement of web casting, which has secured the booths from inside. This time, polling agents from the BJP have been increased compared to 2019 and 2021 Assembly polls," said Suvendu.
Further expressing confidence in BJP's victoiry in West Bengal, Suvendu said the state will also witness Modi wave and BJP will win in lot of places.
He further said, "In some areas influenced by TMC goons, voters are being stopped from voting. The control room of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in Kolkata is monitoring the activities and after getting information, the quick response team is responding within 30 minutes. Polling is not 100 percent fair but TMC is not able to resort to dishonest acts like in the past. We are confident polling percentage will be 80 per cent. In Bengal also, you will see the Modi wave."
He also stressed that IPAC and Abhishek Banerjee have re-ignited the Sandeshkhali issue amid polling, adding that the issue was forgotten for sometime. Further coming down heavily on the Sandeshkhali issue, Suvendu went on to say that Abhishek Banerjee will also face the same fate as "TMC goons, who were hit by residents of Sandeshkhali."
"IPAC and Abhishek Banerjee have again re-ignited the Sandeshkhali issue. It was forgotten for sometime. The way in which TMC goons have been hit by residents of Sandeshkhali over fake video incident, Abhishek Banerjee will also face the same fate. We will give protection to the people arrested in Sandeshkhali. IPAC has done the video service. I will inform the EC that PM Modi, who is fighting for the rights of women in Sandeshkhali, and EC should interfere against the fake cases registered against the women," he added.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, a video of a sting operation surfaced that stirred up controversy in Sandeshkhali, which was broadcast by a local television channel. In the alleged video, a person, purportedly a BJP Mandal (booth) president named Gangadhar Koyal is heard saying that Sandeshkhali women, who weren't sexually assaulted, were projected as 'rape' victims at the behest of the LoP.
Claiming that Suvendu 'helped' him get this done, the person in the video said that the former told him that the TMC's strongmen in the area wouldn't be arrested unless he is falsely implicated in a "rape case".
Though still a part of the Opposition bloc--INDIA, the TMC chose to go it alone in Bengal and announced candidates for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
The Congress and the Left Front have a seat-sharing arrangement in the state under which the Left parties contest 30 seats and the Congress contests the remaining 12 seats.
However, the news channel that broke the alleged sting operation did not check the veracity of the clip.
Eight seats in West Bengal have gone to the polls in the fourth phase.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the TMC took the lion's share of the electoral spoils in the state, at 34, while the BJP had to be content with just 2 seats. The CPI(M) and the Congress won 2 and 4 seats, respectively.
However, in a poll stunner that few saw coming, the BJP turned the tables on the ruling TMC in the 2019 polls, winning 18 seats. The ruling party in the state saw its tally reduced to 22. The Congress fared a lowly third in the tally with just 2 seats while the Left Front was down to just a lone seat.