Team News Riveting
Kolkata, April 27
In a move aimed to conduct free and fair elections, the Election Commission of India had ordered to keep Trinamool Congress’ Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal kept under strict surveillance from Tuesday evening till Friday, April 30, the day after the eighth and last phase of polling in Bengal.
The CEC’s order issued on Tuesday read: “… Anubrata Mondal, district president of AITC, Birbhum, should be kept under strict surveillance of Executive Magistrate and CAPF, round the clock from 5pm of 27th April 2021 till 7.30 am of 30th April, 2021 for ensuring free and fair election… Videography to be arranged with date time stamping.”
The 11 seats in Birbhum would go to the polls in the last phase of elections on April 29.
Mondal is considered to be a Trinamool Congress’ strongman and has considerable sway in Birbhum. Trinamool had won most panchayat seats uncontested in Birbhum, the backlash against which was seen in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The BJP gained, leading in five Assembly segments of Birbhum.
This is the third election in Bengal where Mondal, known for making bizarre comments, had been kept under surveillance. In the 2016 Assembly and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, EC had imposed similar restrictions on Mondal’s movements before and during the day of polling, a fact that did not go down well with his leader and chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
