Around 200 BJP supporters blocked NH27 at Raninagar near here on Monday morning, alleging that a party candidate who had won the panchayat elections and her husband had been abducted by Trinamul Congress workers.

Trinamul denied the charge.

In a video, the candidate’s husband was seen saying he and his wife had willingly joined Mamata Banerjee’s party.

Sources said Purnima Roy, who won from the 18/252 number booth of Belakoba panchayat under Jalpaiguri Sadar block, had been missing along with her husband Amar since Sunday night. The couple’s son, Rahul, filed a missing diary with the police.

Harimohan Mondal, the president of the BJP’s Rajganj west (organisational) block committee, said: “Our party has secured the majority in the Belakoba panchayat. Trinamul is trying to grab the rural body by forcing our candidates to join their side. They have abducted our candidate and her husband. We want Trinamul to let them safely return their home.”

He has said the Belakoba panchayat has 29 seats, 15 of which were bagged by the BJP. Trinamul won 12 seats, while Independents were elected from two other seats.

“Trinamul is trying to form the board by getting the Independents and a couple of BJP candidates on their side. This is unacceptable as we have the necessary numbers to form the board,” Mondal said.

As the blockade that started around 9am continued, hundreds of vehicles were left stranded in both directions of the highway. Kotwali police reached the spot and managed to persuade the protesters to clear the road after two hours.

Later in the day, a video showing Amar Kumar Roy, Purnima’s husband, circulated on social media. “I and my wife have willingly joined Trinamul. No one has pressured us,” he was heard saying in the video.

The BJP leaders, however, said Amar had been forced to say so.

Trinamul leaders brushed aside the allegation. Krishna Das, the district president of Trinamul’s SC & ST Cell in Jalpaiguri, said the BJP was raising baseless charges.

“We didn’t intimidate anyone. If somebody joins our party to expedite their area’s development, we would always welcome them. The
BJP candidate, her husband and some others have joined Trinamul on their own,” said Das.