The Election Commission of India’s team deployed to keep round-the-clock watch on Birbhum’s Trinamul Congress chief Anubrata Mondal struggled to keep up with the leader for two-and-a-half hours on Wednesday when he travelled extensively in the district and gave instructions to party workers with regard to the polls to 11 Assembly seats on Thursday.

Only after Mondal visited Trinamul leaders and workers at Nanoor, Labhpur, Sainthia and Mallarpur was the surveillance team headed by an executive magistrate able to track him down to the Tarapith temple.

Apart from the executive magistrate, the surveillance team comprised a videographer and four central force jawans. The videographer’s job was to record every move of Mondal.

The EC had kept Mondal under surveillance in the 2016 Assembly polls and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The surveillance team was waiting outside in a car when Mondal left his home in Bolpur around 11.30am on Wednesday. As soon as Mondal started out, the team followed him.

“He was on the way to Nanoor. But suddenly, his car took a bypass that the officials could not follow,” said a close aide to Mondal.

Mondal first met Trinamul workers in the four key areas before reaching the Tarapith temple to offer prayers. Sources said after he had reached Tarapith, the executive magistrate asked him to wait till the surveillance team reached.

Although the commission’s officials claimed Mondal had not been able to do anything special, Trinamul insiders said he had given last-minute advice to the party’s election managers at the grassroots, which was of crucial importance the day before the polls.

“Keshtoda did exactly what he had planned, outside the EC’s vigil. His tours the district the day before the polls and it has become routine that the commission’s team struggles to keep up with him or understand his methods,” said a Trinamul leader.

In the evening, the commission served him a showcause, alleging he had escaped the surveillance.

“He had been under strict surveillance since yesterday (Tuesday) evening. Today (Wednesday), he skipped the surveillance for some time. However, we tracked him over the phone and were informed about his location. The executive magistrate warned him in writing not to avoid the surveillance in future,” said Birbhum district magistrate Devi Prasad Karanam who also functions as the district election officer under the EC.

Mondal, however, said it was the duty of the commission to keep him under surveillance, in which the panel had failed.

“If the team failed to find me, then it is their fault. What can I do? I waited for the team at Tarapith and called up the district magistrate, asking him about the team. He said they were on the way,” said Mondal.

Senior officials said the surveillance team and the magistrate were not adequately aware of how Mondal functioned and what he had done the last two times he was kept under watch by the EC.

“In 2016 and 2019, when Mondal was kept under similar surveillance, he had moved around the district for hours. But then, the teams did not lose sight of him altogether for hours, at least. This time, the team failed to do what it was sent to,” said a senior official.

Mondal alleged that police had asked many active Trinamul leaders to visit police stations, forcing them to stay there. “I have no problem with surveillance…. But I had never seen such a biased poll panel before this,” he said.

“At their (the commission’s) behest, the police are summoning our leaders, but nothing is done about the BJP’s goons despite repeated complaints,” he added.