Congress candidate Mostaque Alam has lodged a complaint with chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar and requested him to conduct a free and fair poll by deploying central forces properly. Mr Alam has forwarded its copy to the district magistrate and police observer Chiruvolu Srikant.

Mr Alam has requested the CEC to deploy central forces and even additional forces to maintain law and order in all 368 sensitive booths out of 1,812, including auxiliary booths in Maldah Uttar parliamentary constituency.

In a letter to the CEC, Mr Alam said: “Deployment of central forces more pertinently in the sensitive areas for route march in all rural areas and maintain a sharp vigil in order to avoid rigging and law and order problems. Trinamul Congress candidate is more popular as a former superintendent of police in Malda district and he is influencing the machineries responsible for maintaining law and order.”

Mr Alam has also alleged that goons backed by the TMC have started Intimidating both the Congress and Left workers and even the voters, disrupting the democratic process.

According to Mr Alam, the already deployed central forces are either being kept idle in police stations or being taken for rounds superficially.

Notably, chief minister Mamata Banerjee has campaigned for her party candidate Prasun Banerjee, a former IPS officer, in different locations before and after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s poll campaigning in Malda for his two party candidates Khagen Murmu and Sreerupa Mitra Chowdhury, who are contesting from Maldah Uttar and Maldah Dakshin respectively.

Even TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has campaigned in different spots in Malda district for his two party candidates.

On the other hand, the Congress candidates in Malda and his team members are campaigning in association with the Left Front leaders and workers. Though Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi was scheduled to campaign in Malda, her programme has been postponed.

Sources said Mallikarjun Kharge may campaign for two Congress candidates Mostaque Alam and Isha Khan Choudhury, who are contesting from Maldah Uttar and Maldah Dakshin respectively, on 5 May.

As a result, according to political observers, the TMC leadership is trying hard to take on both the BJP candidates in Malda despite division of anti-BJP vote bank.

Interestingly, both the BJP candidates are trying hard to retain their vote bank when voters are apparently polarised on the issue of Hindutva in Malda district.

In 2019, the BJP bagged Maldah Uttar and Congress won Maldah Dakshin. Congress had won two seats in 2009 and 2014. TMC Rajya Sabha member Mousam Noor was elected twice from Malda Uttar as a Congress candidate. In 2019, Ms Noor contested LS polls from Maldah Uttar on a TMC ticket.