There has been tension in Taldangra Assembly segment over by-elections in Bankura district tomorrow with the TMC and BJP leaders exchanging barbs.

Arup Chakraborty, the Bankura MP, in his last-minute campaign for the TMC candidate Falguni Singhya Babu has alleged that the BJP’s Durgapur West MLA Lakshman Ghorui is trying to purchase votes by offering money and liquor to voters.

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“The BJP MLA of Durgapur Lakshman Ghorui is travelling from one village to another in his car at night offering money and liquor bottles to purchase votes. We are very much confident of the victory of our candidate and we are trying to increase our margin here further,” Arup Chakraborty alleged.

Refuting his allegations, Lakshman Ghorui said Arup Chakraborty, during his tenure as MLA of Taldangra, had looted money. “After the R G Kar incident, people of the state are not happy with the ruling party. The fear of losing is leading the TMC MP to cook up stories,” alleged Lakshman Ghorui.

He further added that the BJP is knocking the doors of every voter seeking for votes and the response has been very good so far.

The seat has become vacant after TMC MLA Arup Chakraborty became MP of Bankura, defeating former Union minister Dr Subhas Sarkar, earlier this year.

Interestingly, at Taldangra, except the BJP candidate, Ananya Roy Chakraborty, all three candidates of TMC, CPM and Congress are Odia. Even Ananya Roy Chakraborty has joined the BJP from Trinamul Congress after failing to get a ticket during the last Assembly election.

A large section of people in Taldangra Assembly seat are Odia and that’s why to woo the Odia votebank, all the three parties, except the BJP have nominated Odia candidates. Over 45 per cent of voters of Simlapal Block, having over 1,30,000 votes, are Odia.