Suvendu demands central forces for 3 more months after polls, TMC calls it 'defeatist mentality'

Kolkata: The central forces deployed in West Bengal for the Lok Sabha polls should be kept for three more months after the elections, leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP said on Monday.

Speaking to reporters after meeting the Election Commission-appointed special observer, Adhikari said this would help in preventing post-poll violence, which led to a slew of deaths following the 2021 assembly elections and the 2023 panchayat polls.

He said that he would write to Governor CV Ananda Bose, the state's chief secretary and Union home secretary with the demand.

Reacting to Adhikari's statement, the TMC said it showed a 'defeatist mentality'.

"@SuvenduWB (Adhikari) demanded that Central Forces be allowed to remain in Bengal even after MCC (model code of conduct) has been lifted. He knows it better than anyone else that his Party is in shambles, that BJP commands no political hold in Bengal. So, their only option to salvage their diminishing relevance is by prolonging the stay of Central Forces," the TMC posted on X.

A total of 92,000 personnel of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are likely to be deployed in West Bengal, the highest in any state, for the elections, according to officials.