Roles reversed: BJP blocks Trinamul

BJP supporters gathered near the BDO office at Itahar on Friday

TT, Raiganj: Over 1,000 BJP supporters, many of them tribals brandishing bows and arrows, cordoned off a BDO office here on Friday to ensure party candidates could file rural poll nominations, scaring off many Trinamul nominees in the process.

The scenes that unfolded at Itahar, 21km from Raiganj, are rare at a time the BJP and other Opposition parties are crying hoarse over violence allegedly perpetrated by Trinamul supporters to prevent rivals from filing nominations.

The sight of the BJP supporters - many of whom also carried daggers, sickles and spears - caused jitters at a Trinamul office barely 300 metres from the BDO's base. Most in the Trinamul office did not try to head towards the BDO office and some leaders said many of their nominees could not submit papers.

Trinamul MLA Nepal Ghorui (in yellow shirt) distributes sweets among the CPM candidates. Picture by Anirban Hazra

On Thursday, a section of BJP supporters, some of whom had allegedly ransacked the office, had warned they would back on Friday in "full force".

"We will not let a single Trinamul supporter enter the area. They have stopped our candidates at many places and assaulted them. We want to see what they do now," a BJP leader said.

Cops were around but did not make any attempts to disperse the crowd.

Similar resist-and-repel methods helped BJP candidates file nominations in Kaliaganj, another block in North Dinajpur of which Raiganj is the district headquarters.

"From Saturday, we will adopt the same strategy to ensure all our candidates file their nominations. The ruling party should know that if necessary, we are ready to retaliate," said Nirmal Dam, the North Dinajpur BJP president.

Sources said while none from Trinamul tried to submit nominations, the BJP supporters allowed some Left candidates to file their papers.

"The BJP held an armed rally in Itahar and took control of the BDO office. The police did not act and some of our candidates could not file their nominations," said Mohammad Israil, the Trinamul chief of Itahar.

At Malbazar in Jalpaiguri, around 200km from Raiganj, Trinamul and BJP supporters clashed. The trouble started when vehicles carrying BJP candidates and supporters were heading towards the BDO office and suspected Trinamul supporters rained stones on them.

Later, BJP activists waylaid a vehicle ferrying Trinamul workers to the BDO office, smashing and overturning it.

Another group of alleged Trinamul supporters attacked some CPM candidates, snatched their nomination papers and set them on fire.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY OUR JALPAIGURI CORRESPONDENT