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NEW DELHI: For the third time in under one week, CPM approached the Election Commission flagging concerns over the February 16 assembly polls in Tripura, alleging that Union home minister Amit Shah was trying to “directly influence the conduct of elections”.
Following an allegation on February 13 by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi that Shah had convened a “secret meeting with officers in the darkness of night”, CPM chief Sitaram Yechury wrote to the poll panel, asking the EC observers to look into the matter and fix responsibility, where necessary.
Quoting Gogoi’s allegation that Shah, while on a campaign tour of the state, had secretly met a batch of top officers of police administration, including DGP of the state, and the election department on February 11, CPM asked the poll panel to order a high level investigation into the allegations.
“This is a very serious issue which concerns the conduct of the Union home minister in trying to directly influence the conduct of elections for the Tripura assembly. You will recall that in our meeting with the full Election Commission, we had expressed our apprehensions about such a possibility involving the Union home minister. You had assured us that the Election Commission is fully geared to meet all eventualities in ensuring a free and fair election. However, this development as reported in the media has taken place despite that assurance,” Yechury said in his letter, demanding that the poll panel take a report from the special observers and “fix responsibility on BJP and other important election officials who met the Union home minister”.
CPM has, over the last week, approached the Election Commission apprehending violence in the state. The party also flagged concerns over the deployment of Gujarat and Assam police forces in Tripura, instead of paramilitary forces. In a letter to the poll commission, CPM leader Nilotpal Basu had called the deployment “unusual”, and pointed out that Gujarat and Assam police had replaced the Border Security Force in some places.
Following an allegation on February 13 by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi that Shah had convened a “secret meeting with officers in the darkness of night”, CPM chief Sitaram Yechury wrote to the poll panel, asking the EC observers to look into the matter and fix responsibility, where necessary.
Quoting Gogoi’s allegation that Shah, while on a campaign tour of the state, had secretly met a batch of top officers of police administration, including DGP of the state, and the election department on February 11, CPM asked the poll panel to order a high level investigation into the allegations.
“This is a very serious issue which concerns the conduct of the Union home minister in trying to directly influence the conduct of elections for the Tripura assembly. You will recall that in our meeting with the full Election Commission, we had expressed our apprehensions about such a possibility involving the Union home minister. You had assured us that the Election Commission is fully geared to meet all eventualities in ensuring a free and fair election. However, this development as reported in the media has taken place despite that assurance,” Yechury said in his letter, demanding that the poll panel take a report from the special observers and “fix responsibility on BJP and other important election officials who met the Union home minister”.
CPM has, over the last week, approached the Election Commission apprehending violence in the state. The party also flagged concerns over the deployment of Gujarat and Assam police forces in Tripura, instead of paramilitary forces. In a letter to the poll commission, CPM leader Nilotpal Basu had called the deployment “unusual”, and pointed out that Gujarat and Assam police had replaced the Border Security Force in some places.
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