Day ends with claims, counter-claims in Kolkata

By Our Special Correspondent

KOLKATA, MAY 8. West Bengal's mainline political parties today wrapped up the campaign for the election, amid claims and counter-claims on their prospects.

While the Chief Minister, Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, said that the ruling Left Front would return to office with ``a comfortable majority,'' Mr.Sudip Bandopadhyay, spokesman of the Trinamool Congress, said the Congress-Trinamool combine would secure between 180 and 200 out of the 294 seats. And the BJP thinks that the power levers should not be in the hands of Trinamool Congress.

These three key players made these observations at separate meet- the-press programmes organised by the Kolkata Press Club today. They was a barrage of questions relating to their prospects, possible violence during the poll and the issues figuring on their priority lists.

Mr. Bandopadhyay said there was a distinct popular wave in favour of the Congress-Trinamool alliance, and the CPI(M), sensing this, had prepared itself to resist the combine's march to victory, and as part of its preparations, was ready to unleash violence during the election. ``People want to oust the Leftists from office. We can sense the popular anger against them. They will unleash violence from tomorrow''.

CM's assurance

Mr. Bhattacharjee, countering the charge, said: ``There would be a peaceful and free and fair election.'' Mr. Bhattacharjee's and Mr. Bandopadhyay's press conferences were different in that while in the case of the Chief Minister, the questions were related more to the Government's future policies and programmes, the Trinamool leader's were mostly on issues relating to violence, the alliance with the Congress and the impact of Mr.Ajit Panja's rebellion on the combine's poll prospects.

Mr. Bandopadhyay said Ms. Banerjee had emerged as the tallest Opposition leader in Bengal and the poll results would reflect her popularity. ``But, the communists are desperate to retain office and are planning to rig the poll. We have informed the Election Commission about it.'' The Trinamool workers had informed the party leaders here that the Leftists were planning to create an environment of terror in Midnapore, Bankura and Howrah districts. ``But the trend is in our favour,'' he said.

To a question, he said the Trinamool had tied up with the Congress, because the latter had categorically said in its Bangalore AICC session that it would concentrate on ousting the Leftists from office in Bengal. ``We were happy to note that Ms. Sonia Gandhi withstood the communists' pressures and forged an alliance with us.''

Rules out return to NDA

The Trinamool MP said, contrary to speculations, the party would not return to the NDA. The Trinamool's nine parliamentarians had sent a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. Vajpayee, and informed him of the party's decision to quit the NDA. ``We don't believe in political prostitution. Once we said we will not return to the NDA fold, we will stick to it.''

Mr.Bhattacharjee said that when the Front assumes office for the sixth time after the May 10 election, the government would correct the flaws in administration, health and education.

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Section  : State Elections
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