Scoffing at CPI(M) state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra’s statement that the Opposition Left-Congress combine was heading for a target of 200 seats, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday dared him
Scoffing at CPI(M) state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra’s statement that the Opposition Left-Congress combine was heading for a target of 200 seats, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday dared him to win 20 seats instead. “Forget 200, let them first win 20 seats. No alliance will survive. Both the CPI(M) and Congress will suffer such enormous drubbing that after the elections, they will be reduced to signboards,” she added. Ms Banerjee was addressing an election rally in Raidighi in South 24 Parganas.
On Monday, Mr Mishra had said that after the fourth phase of polling, he was confident that the Left-Congress combine would cross 200 mark. Incidentally, on the same day, Ms Banerjee had claimed that her party had already secured majority in the four phases of elections. She suggested that in the last two phases, the number of seats the Trinamul Congress would win would come as icing on the cake.
Ms Banerjee asserted that the ongoing election would create history. “The Congress and CPI(M) will be wiped out from the face of Bengal and there will be no Left Front. In fact, the Left Front has already disintegrated,” she added.
In Raidighi, the Trinamul Congress has renominated famous filmstar-turned-politician Debashree Roy, who is again pitted against former CPI(M) minister Kanti Ganguly. Significantly, Ms Banerjee on Tuesday claimed that she had definite information that the CPI(M) was planning to rig the polls in a number of booths in Raidighi.
“The booths number 221, 224, 268...” she started reading out from her mobile phone the list of booths she claimed would be rigged.
She asked her party workers and polling agents to be extra vigilant on April 30 when polling would take place in Raidighi.
Urging the voters to re-elect Debashree, she said: “What do you want Kanti or shanti (peace) If you want the latter then vote for Debashree.”
Voicing her displeasure over the frequent transfers of senior police officers by the Election Commission, Ms Banerjee said these were an exercise in futility.
“The DMs, SPs and OCs will not vote. It is the people who do,” she added.
