MLA Among 5 BJP Members Arrested In Bengal For Violating Election Norms

India: Five BJP members including the party’s Pursura MLA, Biman Ghosh, were arrested on Sunday on the charge of violating State Election Commission (SEC) guidelines during electioneering for civic polls in Chandannagar area of West Bengal’s Hooghly district.

Elections to municipal corporations of Chandannagar, Bidhannagar, Siliguri and Asansol are slated to be held on January 22.

According to an officer of Chandannagar police commissionerate, Mr Ghosh was leading a rally of 100 people in ward number 26, where Sandhya Das is the BJP candidate, flouting the SEC guidelines, which, in view of the COVID-19 situation, stipulated that not more than five persons can together participate in civic poll campaigns.

An altercation broke out when one of the personnel from the commissionerate told the MLA that he was violating the rules, but the BJP activists refused to terminate the rally, the officer said.

Five BJP members, including Mr Ghosh and Mr Das, were then arrested and taken to a nearby police station, the officer explained.

They were released on bail later in the day, the officer added.

The BJP MLA, however, denied the charges and said no rule was violated.