West Bengal polls: Shah urges people to vote fearlessly, says central forces will stay back for 60 days

NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah wound up his poll campaign in Bengal on Monday by asking people to vote fearlessly without worrying about the "goons" of CM Mamata Banerjee, as central armed police forces (CAPFs) have been deployed everywhere and will remain stationed in the state for 60 days after elections.

"Don't worry about Didi's goons. The Election Commission has deployed CAPFs in every nook and cranny. Today, as I leave, I am saying a BJP govt will come to office after elections. Still, CAPFs will stay here for the next 60 days," he said while addressing a roadshow in Kolkata's Behala, in a message of reassurance to his party's supporters in a state marred by incidents of post-poll violence in the past.



At Chandannagar, he sharpened his pitch, saying: "There are apprehensions that there will be violence. Don't worry... I am asking Didi's goons not to step out of their homes. Otherwise, we will straighten them up after May 4."

BJP has repeatedly accused TMC of orchestrating violent attacks on its workers after previous elections.

The deployment of nearly 2,400 CAPF companies, unprecedented in the state's electoral history, is being seen as a determined attempt to scuttle any 'strong-arm tactics' of TMC, which, in turn, has alleged that it is aimed at intimidating its supporters to help BJP.

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