MAMATA Thanks Opposition Leaders for Supporting Her Anti- ECI Stance

AFTER   Election  Commission  of  India  curtailed  the campaign  period  in  West Bengal  for the last phase of  polling on  Sunday ,May 19,  several  opposition leaders have  supported Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s criticism  of the decision taken by the poll panel. The TMC supremo   on Thursday thanked the leaders of opposition parties for supporting her stance against the central poll body. ECI has also relieved Home Secretary Atri Bhattacharya of his assignment for interfering with the poll process and Additional Director General, CID, Rajeev Kumar. Kumar has been asked to report for duty on Thursday in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).Thanks and gratitude to @Mayawati, @yadavakhilesh, @INCIndia, @ncbn and others for expressing solidarity and support to us and the people of #Bengal. EC’s biased actions under the directions of the #BJP are a direct attack on democracy. People will give a befitting reply,” she tweeted. The ECI on Wednesday cut short campaigning in the wake of violence between the BJP and the TMC workers in Kolkata.The campaign will end on Thursday at 10 pm in for the Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jayanagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Calcutta South and Calcutta North Parliamentary Constituencies .At a press briefing on Wednesday night at her South Kolkata residence, she accused the Election Commission of acting on the instructions of the BJP. Banerjee said the move was “unethical and unconstitutional”. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandra Naidu in a series of tweets has alleged the ECI turned a deaf ear towards the woes of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led party.”It is disturbing to see prompt action by the ECI on the complaint by BJP and Amit Shah in West Bengal, while conveniently ignoring the complaints of TMC,” Naidu tweeted. The AP Chief Minister said, “Giving clean chits to Narendra Modi, taking unjustified prompt action after false complaints by BJP, wilful inaction on genuine complaints by opposition parties; clearly raises doubts about the neutrality, impartiality, and fairness of the Election Commission of India.””It’s high time the ECI acts on the complaints made by opposition parties to restore its credibility and fulfil its constitutional mandate of conducting free and fair elections. The institutional integrity of the ECI and integrity of the democratic process of elections is at stake,” he tweeted.”It is even more disturbing to see conspicuous inaction of the ECI regarding the complaint of 22 political parties of the opposition, to validate EVM counting with the counting of at least 50% VVPAT slips in each assembly constituency, “he added.BSP chief Mayawati on Thursday accused the Election Commission of India   of  acting against  TMC.On Wednesday before the latest order was issued by the ECI, a TMC  delegation comprising  TMC Rajya Sabha MPs Manish Gupta, Derek O Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and others apprised  the ECI  of  the violent  incidents  alleging  these were BJP’s handiwork at the instance of  BJJP President Amit Shah.