KOLKATA: Trinamool senior and Dum Dum MP Saugata Roy said he wanted transparent and peaceful panchayat polls in Bengal.
Roy held that there was no chance of “coercion” this time as the opposition had no presence at the grassroots. “We held Bijaya Sammilanis and consolidated our strength. We are the only party with the people,” Roy said.
Roy dismissed the opposition’s demand for paramilitary forces during the rural polls and said anyone could file a nomination. “There is no need for any coercion. I came to know that some people could not vote during the previous panchayat polls. It had an impact on the voters psyche in the following Parliament polls,” Roy said. The TMC senior had made a similar statement ahead of the municipal elections.
The opposition took Roy’s comment as a validation of what they had complained about during the 2018 panchayat polls. “It’s better late than never. The Trinamool has finally agreed that it didn’t allow the opposition to file nominations, let alone allow voters to cast their votes,” said BJP leader Rahul Sinha.
CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty held that the Trinamool leader was making admissions as the party had come to realise that it would be rebuffed if leaders tried the same tactics this time.
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