Kolkata: The BJP lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra was engaged in “grave, open and direct intimidation” of a police observer from Odisha during the polls in Bengal.
In its letter to the chief electoral officer of West Bengal, the BJP requested immediate intervention under Article 324 of the Constitution, according to a report by Indian Express. It claimed that the purported actions threatened the integrity of the electoral process.
The BJP claimed that Moitra addressed Battula Gangadhar, a 2011 batch IPS officer of the Odisha cadre, in a video message that is currently in the public domain.
The officer is currently serving as a police observer. The BJP alleged that Moitra’s remarks were ‘not isolated or inadvertent’ but rather were a ‘deliberate attempt’ to obstruct poll officials’ work.
The video is reportedly posted on Moitra’s X account and Facebook. The video’s contents, the BJP alleged, showed “a pattern of intimidation” aimed at the officer. It further stated that the alleged conduct relates to constituencies where Gangadhar has been deployed, including Chapra, Krishnanagar Uttar, Nabadwip, Krishnanagar Dakshin, and Krishnaganj (SC).
