In the West Bengal assembly elections, which begin on March 27, the stakes are high for the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP is hoping to ride on anti-incumbency and identity politics to come to power in a state where it has been on the sidelines for decades. The Trinamool on the other hand, is looking to win a third consecutive term in West Bengal.

Also read | West Bengal elections 2021: Polling dates, 2016 results, big fight between TMC, BJP

With the stakes high, the state has seen violence, vociferous mud-slinging and a number of controversies. Here’s a look at the major controversies that took place in the run-up to the West Bengal polls:

‘Attack’ on Mamata Banerjee

On March 10, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that she was attacked by ‘four-five men’ in Nandigram hours after she filed her nomination. The incident occured in Nandigram’s Birulia bazaar and resulted in Mamata injuring her left leg.

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Banerjee alleged that she was pushed by four-five men while she was trying to get into the car, following which she fell flat on her face.

The BJP and Congress both alleged that this was a ‘tactic to gain sympathy’ and that the CM was trying to turn a ‘simple accident’ into a ‘pre-planned conspiracy’.

Days after the attack, the Election Commission concluded that the Nandigram incident was an accident, and not a planned attack. But the EC transferred some of the officials in Mamata’s security detail.

PM Modi’s photo row

In the first week of March, EC received several complaints about PM Modi’s photo being used in COVID vaccine certificates and on hordings near petrol pumps.

Also read: ‘Wear bermuda, not saree’: Bengal BJP chief attacks Mamata Banerjee

The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines aimed at ensuring a fair and free election. It comes into force from the day that the Election Commission announces poll dates for a region and is enforced till the results are announced. The guidelines, issued by the ECI, ensure that each candidate gets a level-playing field.

The EC immediately directed all petrol pump dealers and other agencies to remove hoardings advertising central government schemes that carry photographs of PM Modi.

The poll body also wrote to the health ministry urging them to follow the model code in letter and in spirit.

Protests over BJP nominations

Across the state, several protests were reported outside BJP offices with the party workers claiming to be unhappy with the choice of the candidate.

Also read: West Bengal elections: PM Modi comments on ‘insider vs outsider’ debate

In one such case, the nomination of Ashok Lahiri, a former chief economic advisor to the Government of India, from the Alipurduar constituency generated controversy. The district party president Ganga Prasad Sharma saying that not only had he not been aware of the decision, but that he hadn’t even heard of Lahiri and didn’t know anything about him. The BJP later changed its candidate in Alipurduar, and has fielded Suman Kanjilal instead of Lahiri.