Accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress of massive rigging, the CPI(M) on Friday said it doubted whether the results of the just-concluded West Bengal panchayat elections would reflect the will of the people.
“At no time has such a brazen attack [on] and perversion of the democratic process of elections has taken place in West Bengal or in the entire country,” party general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters here.
“Thousands of candidates were prevented from filing nominations. In many places Opposition candidates were prevented from conducting their campaign and the polling process was vitiated by widespread rigging, prevention of people from casting their votes and violence against opposition candidates, their polling agents and supporters.”
Mr. Karat said his party would mobilise people to “save democracy.” “It is not only the Left parties but the entire Opposition that has suffered.”
Responding to queries whether the Left parties would support the Congress to prevent the BJP from coming to power in the general elections, Mr. Karat said they would work for its defeat as people were fed up with nine years of UPA “misrule,” adding, at the same time, there was no question of their supporting the BJP either, or a BJP Prime Minister — Narendra Modi or anyone else.