BJP demands extra security deployment in Bengal ahead of polls

West Bengal: The Bharatiya Janatha Party in Bengal has written to the State Election Commission to request the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in the state ahead of municipal elections in light of widespread poll violence that rocked the state last year.

The BJP alleged that the ruling Trinamool Congress Party had created an "environment of fear" in which even the police were "silent spectators". Members of the BJP had been threatened or silenced by TMC party workers and the police were not taking action the letter claimed.

"Also our candidates are not being allowed to campaign, put up banners, flags, wall writing. Here again, the local police are not willing to help and in many cases take a blatant partisan line in support of the ruling party," it added, claiming that police would even call up locals and ask them to vote for TMC candidates.

Addressing the issue, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari said, "West Bengal government is misusing its power and is assembling goons of a particular community but we are ready to fight the polls. State Election Commission is a branch organization of TMC."

In a related development, West Bengal BJP secretary Priyanka Tibrewal on Tuesday wrote to the Police Commissioners of Kolkata, Siliguri, and the Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Eastern Suburban Division stating that she received threat calls implicating her in false and fabricated cases

Tibrewal alleged that she had received a WhatsApp message informing her of a plot to frame her in a police case by planting illegal substances in her car while she was in Kolkota. Tibrewal was the BJP`s candidate against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhowanipore by-polls. She as an advocate has been fighting the West Bengal post-poll violence case in court.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal State Election Commission has postponed the state municipality elections scheduled for January 22 to February 12.