Keep state police away from 2021 WB Assembly polls: BJP leader

Kolkata: Alleging the collapse of law and order in TMC-ruled West Bengal, senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on Sunday demanded that local police be kept away from the next year’s assembly elections to ensure that the exercise is conducted in a free and fair manner. Speaking to reporters, the BJP general secretary who is the party’s in-charge for West Bengal, also said that instances of “infiltrations” are on the rise in the eastern state. “Law and order machinery has collapsed in West Bengal.

Infiltrators are pouring in. Contract killing of political workers is on. In these challenging times, we have asked the Central government to impose President’s rule or the Election Commission should ensure that people cast their vote without fear,” he added.

Vijayvargiya, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, said representatives of the EC had assured after their visit to Kolkata that Central forces would be deployed in adequate numbers during the upcoming elections. “But we have demanded that the state police be kept off the elections given that the police force is politicised (politically-biased) and criminalised as well,” the BJP leader alleged.

The former Madhya Pradesh minister said the BJP would contest the assembly elections, due in April-May next year, against Mamta Banerjee-led TMC on its own, and will win more than 50 per cent of votes.

“The BJP doesn’t need to forge any alliance in West Bengal,” he added.

After having a limited presence in the politically polarised state for decades, the BJP has emerged as the main rival to the ruling Trinamool Congress. It won 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal in the 2019 general elections.