A number of candidates of the BJP contesting the rural polls, especially in the two lower tiers, have moved out of their villages and are staying in different locations arranged by the party to avert pressure allegedly exerted by Trinamul to withdraw nominations.
On Tuesday, although the time for withdrawal of nomination papers ended at 3pm, most BJP candidates stayed put at their temporary shelters, saying they would return home only after getting a clear picture of the political situation in their respective areas.
In Cooch Behar town, around 105 BJP candidates are staying at a community building arranged by the party leaders for the past few days.
Malati Barman, a BJP candidate in a seat of Dinhata-II panchayat samiti, said that after the scrutiny of her nomination papers, she did not return to Rakhalmari, her native village, but reached Cooch Behar town instead.
“Local Trinamul leaders and supporters are mounting pressure on us. That is why we are staying in Cooch Behar. Most of our candidates here (the community hall) are from Dinhata-II block. They couldn’t make us withdraw our nominations. We doubt if we will be able to campaign,” she said.
Similarly, BJP leaders of Malda district have kept 11 party candidates in an undisclosed location on the outskirts of Malda town to avert Trinamul forcing them to withdraw from the fray.
“They have been kept in a specific place. We are keeping a close watch on the area to stop Trinamul from intimidating them,” said Parthasarathi Ghosh, the BJP president of Malda south organisational district. In the coming days, if candidates say they are feeling insecure, arrangements will be made for their stay, he said.
In Jalpaiguri, 11 BJP candidates contesting in three panchayats are staying at a place in the district headquarters.
“Trinamul workers are threatening them, their family and friends. We brought them here so that they do not succumb to the pressure. But what bothers us now is whether these people can campaign extensively in their areas,” said Jayanta Roy, the BJP MP of Jalpaiguri.
Candidates from panchayats like Paharpur, Patkata and Baropatia-Notunbas, which are in Jalpaiguri Sadar block, are staying at the place in Jalpaiguri town.
“We moved out of the villages with our families. We haven't withdrawn but none of us knows if we can return to our homes ahead of the elections,” said Bakul Chandra Roy, a panchayat candidate.
In Balurghat headquarters of South Dinajpur district, four BJP candidates are staying at the district party office.
“There has hardly been any change in the past five years. In the 2018 rural polls, many of us took shelter in the party office. This time, it is happening again. If adequate central forces are not deployed in our areas immediately, there is little chance of our returning to our homes before the elections,” said one of them.
Over the past few days, senior BJP leaders have time and again flagged the issue of "Trinamul intimidation". “No major step is being taken by the state police to ensure the safety of our candidates. It is disappointing that the basic tenets of a free and fair election are being blatantly violated,” said Swarup Choudhury, the BJP president of South Dinajpur district.
Trinamul leaders brushed aside these charges. There is a specific instruction from the party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee that no one from the party should indulge in violence, they said.
“This is nothing but a political stunt of the BJP. Their leaders know very well that they would come up with a pathetic performance in the panchayat polls. Thus, they are trying to build pretexts ahead of the polls with such baseless allegations,” said Parthapratim Roy, Trinamul’s spokesperson in Cooch Behar.