Incidents of "forcible" withdrawal of nominations marked the last date of the nomination process at several places in the state on Tuesday, with Opposition parties accusing the ruling Trinamul of excesses to ensure uncontested victories for its candidates.
Opposition leaders said the ruling dispensation with the overt and covert support of police resorted to violence to force their candidates to withdraw nominations in many places. While Trinamul workers were met with resistance in a few places, they succeeded in most, Opposition leaders claimed.
Four Congress workers were injured on Tuesday afternoon when Trinamul-backed goons allegedly attacked them and snatched a bag with authorisation papers to allot Congress symbols to over 200 candidates in Murshidabad's Burwan.
"Trinamul-backed goons were waiting inside the premises of block development officer's office at Burwan. They tried to snatch the bag with documents in front of the police. We were beaten up with sticks and our bag was taken away. As a result, all our candidates contesting from the area will stand as Independents," said Azad Sheikh, the Congress block president in Burwan.
Tuesday was the last day to submit party symbols against the candidates of the political parties. Those who did not get party symbols have become Independent candidates automatically.
State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury rushed to Burwan and sat in a demonstration in front of the BDO office. He demanded that the state poll panel ensure that they received a fresh set of party symbols on Wednesday.
"Trinamul leaders tried their best to force our candidates to withdraw nomination papers till Monday night. After multiple unsuccessful attempts, they snatched the documents to ensure our candidates turn Independents. We demand the state election commission allow us to submit party symbols to all those candidates on Wednesday," said Chowdhury from his sit-in.
An official in Murshidabad, however, later said Chowdhury was told it was not possible to do so beyond deadline.
The Trinamul MLA from Kandi, Apurba Sarkar, denied Chowdhury's allegations.
"There is Section 144 (of Crpc) in force at the BDO office and our people did not gather there. So, I can't say anything about any such incident," said Sarkar.
CPM leaders in various districts alleged that the police played a key role in multiple places to help Trinamul force their candidates to quit the fray.
In Birbhum, Trinamul won five panchayat samitis and around 40 gram panchayats uncontested as all Opposition candidates, including from the CPM and the BJP, were allegedly forced to quit the fray on Tuesday.
"The worst picture of ensuring the withdrawal of nomination was seen in Bolpur. Trinamul goons with the help of police reached out to our candidates and forced them to withdraw nominations. We could not do anything as the police did not help us," said CPMs' Birbhum district committee secretary Gautam Ghosh.
In West Midnapore's Daspur, CPM alleged that the police tried to help Trinamul withdraw the nomination paper of one of their candidates but failed after resistance at the BDO office.
"They succeeded in withdrawing nominations of a section of our candidates. But we could prevent them in many places in our district," said Apurba Chattopadhyay, a CPM leader in East Burdwan.
State BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar on Tuesday chased a group of "Trinamul-backed goons" at a village in South Dinajpur’s Gangarampur, who were allegedly trying to scare BJP candidates into quitting the fray.
He also filed a police complaint against Trinamul leaders for intimidation.