Kolkata, April 15: Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor Nirmal Dutta was arrested on Wednesday in Bidhannagar for allegedly intimidating and influencing voters.
On Tuesday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Sharadwat Mukherjee contacted the Election Commission of India (ECI) with these allegations. Mukherjee also met with the Police Commissioner of Bidhannagar and filed a complaint against Dutta. Based on this complaint, the TMC leader was taken into custody. Notably, Dutta’s wife is a TMC councillor for Ward 38 in Bidhannagar.
Dutta was reportedly heard in a meeting stating, “We will find out who the people of Duttabad are and where they vote; we have Aadhaar cards and voter IDs.” Following this remark, the BJP lodged a formal complaint.
This controversy began after Dutta’s comments during a meeting in Salt Lake on April 13, where he was accused of intimidating attendees. Consequently, Mukherjee filed a written complaint with the Bidhannagar Police Commissioner, alleging voter intimidation and influence. He also reported Dutta to the Election Commission.
Dutta was arrested within 24 hours based on the complaint and was presented in Bidhannagar Court on Wednesday. The court ordered a 10-day judicial custody for him. It is worth noting that Dutta had previously faced accusations of attacking BJP workers in the Duttabad area of Salt Lake.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated that if one TMC leader is arrested, a hundred more will take their place. While addressing an election rally in Islampur, North Dinajpur district, she criticized the Election Commission for arresting TMC leaders ahead of the assembly elections.
Voting for the 294 assembly seats in West Bengal will take place in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with the second phase including Bidhannagar and Kolkata. The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
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