Diamond Harbour (West Bengal) [India], April 27 (ANI): In a high-octane escalation of the electoral battle in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee has alleged a clandestine collusion between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and an election official.

Addressing a gathering in his constituency, Banerjee claimed to have 'exposed' a secret meeting at a local hotel, framing the subsequent transfer of district police officials by the Election Commission (EC) as an act of political vendetta.

Banerjee provided specific details of the alleged meeting, claiming that a BJP candidate met with an official identified as Purushottam Das in Room No. 208 of the Sagarika Hotel in Diamond Harbour. He asserted that the meeting was intended to coordinate efforts between the party and the EC 'quietly.'

'A secret meeting was held between the BJP candidate and ES Purushottam Das in Room No. 208 at Sagarika Hotel in Diamond Harbour. They thought they could meet quietly and no one would find out, that they could separately bat on behalf of the Election Commission and the BJP without being caught,' said Banerjee.

He further claimed that the incident had been brought to light and action had been taken by the authorities.

'But I am present everywhere, in the air, the soil, in every leaf and vine. Where will they escape? Where will they run? From tea stalls to markets, from food shops to hotels, from sari shops to fruit stalls, from fish markets to the jetty, I am connected everywhere. I have exposed them,' Banerjee said.

He also alleged that police action had followed and claimed that a video of the alleged meeting was now in the public domain.

'The police have taken action against them, and you have already seen the video of their secret meeting in the public domain. The police have begun an investigation,' he said.

Banerjee further alleged that several police officers in Diamond Harbour had been transferred following the incident, including the Additional SP, SDPO, and officers-in-charge of multiple police stations.

'The Election Commission has changed the Additional SP of Diamond Harbour, the SDPO, the OC of Usthi Police Station, the OC of Diamond Harbour, and the IC of Falta. Thieves commit theft, the police catch them, and yet action is taken against the police,' he said

He also criticised the administrative response, claiming that attempts were being made to corner him politically.

'They think that by changing five officers, they can corner Abhishek Banerjee. I challenge Gyanesh Kumar and Amit Shah, we will meet on the 4th,' he said.

Banerjee further asserted confidence in his electoral performance in the region.

'I will increase the margin in Diamond Harbour, increase the margin in Magrahat Purba, and this time I will take the margin in Magrahat Paschim to one lakh. I give you my word,' he added.

Meanwhile, the polling for Phase I of the Assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on Thursday, with West Bengal recording a significantly higher voter turnout of 92.78 per cent, according to the Election Commission of India.

The high turnout figures underline an active electoral exercise as polling drew to a close amid tight security arrangements across constituencies. The polling for the second phase will be held on April 29, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. (ANI)