TMC claims EC-BJP nexus over Mukul Roy’s leaked audio clip

Hitting back at the BJP after the party claimed that West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee urged a leader from Nandigram to rejoin the TMC, Mamata’s party on Saturday released another tape where BJP national vice president Mukul Roy was allegedly heard saying about how to influence poll panel, as he was talking to industrialist and party leader Shishir Bajoria. 

In the first phase of polling for West Bengal assembly elections on Saturday, Mamata got caught up in controversy as in the audio clip, released by the BJP, the TMC supremo is purportedly heard requesting Prolay Pal, former Trinamool leader now in BJP, to rejoin her party and help her win the Nandigram constituency. 

Hours after BJP’s attack, TMC hit back, releasing an audio clip of a purported conversation between Roy and Bajoria. In the clip, the BJP national vice president told Bajoria, asking him to convince the Election Commission to allow polling agents to be made functional at all polling stations, regardless of which constituency they have been alloted. 

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Under the existing rules, parties’ polling agents are only allowed at booths in localities where they live. 

Roy told Bajoria, “See, we have to include this point while meeting the EC. We have to say that this rule that polling agents can only be deputed in their localities should be changed. The only criteria should be that the person is a citizen of the state.”

He said that if this did not happen, the BJP would not be able to have its agents in a large number at polling booths. 

The audio clip has “blown the lid off” the nexus between the BJP and the EC, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said. 

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This came after Pal claimed that Banerjee called him, saying, “You should help us win Nandigram. Look, I know you have some grievances, but that’s due mostly to the Adhikaris who never allowed me to get into Nandigram or East Midnapore. I will take care of everything henceforth.”

Pal is an official of BJP from the East Midnapore district, which is a stronghold of the Adhikari family. The BJP leader, however, said that he is now working for BJP and that he cannot betray them.