West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged on Thursday that Central forces deployed in her constituency were helping the BJP under instructions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah hours after she was holed up in a polling booth to look into allegations of rigging.

Mamata alleged that the Election Commission was following instructions of Shah and not acting on complaints of alleged irregularities that she and her party had lodged. She also threatened to move court.

"The CRPF, BSF are acting under the instructions of Home Minister Amit Shah....they are only helping the BJP," she told reporters outside a polling station in Nandigram constituency, according to PTI.

Despite sporadic violence and accusations of vote fraud in Nandigram, the TMC supremo said she was confident of victory from the constituency where she had a decade-and-half ago led a farmers' movement against a chemical hub planned by the then Left front government.

She demanded that Shah, who had earlier campaigned for Suvendu Adhikari, her rival in Nandigram, must "control the BJP goons brought from outside".

"This is shameful. The people will give them a befitting reply. The way even women journalists have been heckled is disgraceful," she said.

Earlier, as voting began for the second phase of elections, Mamata chose to stay indoors at her rented house in Reyapara, and monitor proceedings. But in the afternoon, after receiving word about trouble brewing at Boyal Maqtab primary school booth number 7, a known trouble-spot in the constituency, she decided to move out.

Her convoy left for the Boyal school around 1.10pm. There she barged into the polling booth and asked the presiding officer why there were so many complaints. She also spoke with the booth agents and others, who alleged that the BJP had captured the booth since morning and were not allowing anyone to vote.

From the booth, Mamata spoke with Governor Jagdeep Dhankar and wrote a two-page letter to the Election Commission of India. “I am the candidate here, so this letter has to be treated as an FIR," Mamata was heard saying.

While the chief minister was inside, there were clashes between rival camps. More police personnel were rushed to the school to prevent an escalation in violence.

The chief minister's presence seemed to encourage the Trinamul supporters to get aggressive.

"I am afraid of the safety and security of the local people once polling is over. There are many outsiders who are in the area and they pose a threat to the locals. I cannot leave now," Mamata said.

Two observers from the Election Commission met Mamata at the booth and tried to pacify her, but she wouldn't budge. EC special observer Nagenra Tripathi also arrived at the spot and gave a patient hearing to Mamata.

Voting which started in the booth at 7.00am ended at 6.30pm.

Later, Mamata slammed the Election Commission for "inaction" despite her party lodging several complaints and threatened to move the law courts over it.

"We have lodged 63 complaints since morning. But no action has been taken. We will move the court over it. This is unacceptable," the chief minister said seated, in a wheelchair outside booth 7 in Boyal.

"The EC is working on the instructions of Amit Shah," she alleged. "Goons from other states are creating ruckus here," she added.

The chief minister, however, said she is more worried about the fate of democracy given the use of money and muscle power than her personal victory.
"I am not worried about Nandigram, I am confident of victory. (But) I am worried about democracy," Mamata said as she showed the 'V' for victory sign to a gaggle of press photographers.

The feisty TMC boss said she would win a majority of the 60 seats that had gone to polls in the first and second phase.

Mamata is battling her former lieutenant Suvendu Adhikari, who has crossed over to the BJP, in the prestigious Nandigram constituency.