Poll panel leash on Trinamul strongman ahead of last phase of voting

Anubrata put on round-the-clock surveillance from Tuesday to Friday morning

Anubrata Mondal: File picture

Arnab Ganguly | TT | Calcutta  | 27.04.21: The Election Commission of India has ordered that Trinamul Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal be kept under strict surveillance from Tuesday evening till Friday, April 30, the day after the eighth and last phase of polling in Bengal.

The CEC's order issued on Tuesday read: “… Anubrata Mondal, district president of AITC, Birbhum, should be kept under strict surveillance of Executive Magistrate and CAPF, round the clock from 5pm of 27th April 2021 till 7.30 am of 30th April, 2021 for ensuring free and fair election… Videography to be arranged with date time stamping.”

As many as 11 seats in Birbhum will go the polls on April 29, in the last phase.

This is third election in Bengal where Mondal, known for making outlandish comments and generally regarded as a Trinamul strongman, has been kept under surveillance. In the 2016 Assembly and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, EC had imposed similar restrictions on Mondal’s movements before and during the day of polling, a fact that did not go down well with his leader and chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

During her visit to Bolpur on April 24, Mamata had advised Mondal to go to court if the EC attempted to curtail his movements on polling day.

“They (BJP) are very angry with him. This time if they try to keep you under surveillance, go to the court. They cannot do this with anyone,” Mamata had said.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP had managed to take the lead in five of the 11 Assembly seats, which would be crucial in this election and Mondal’s absence from the field on the day of polling could make a difference.

Mondal's rise in the Trinamul coincided with the CPM's downfall in 2009 when it was left licking its wounds in a district that it had made its own in the 32 years of the Left Front. The swing from the Trinamul to the BJP, in a district which takes pride in its association with Rabindranath Tagore and Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay, has been swift starting from the 2018 panchayat polls.

In Birbhum, like in rest of the state, Trinamul won most panchayat seats uncontested, the backlash against which was seen in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The BJP gained, leading in five Assembly segments of Birbhum. Now, as the reiging strongman of the Trinamul, Mondal's prestige is at stake. For, it is he who has to ensure Trinamul is able to regain lost ground. 

In the run-up to the 2021 Assembly polls, Mondal was served a notice by the central poll panel for his comment, “a dreadful game will be played,” referring to his party boss’ slogan, "Khela hobe (Game on)".

The CBI had summoned Mondal on Tuesday in connection with an ongoing investigation in a cattle smuggling case. But, Mondal did not appear citing “elections”.