BJP leader Mukul Roy to stay away in the last phase

Kolkata, May 18 (IANS) With Trinamool Congress pointing out that Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mukul Roy being an 'outsider' should stay away from the areas where elections were taking place on Sunday, an Election Commission official on Saturday said that he will abide by the rules.

As per EC's Model Code of Conduct rule, all outsiders who do not belong to the constituency should not stay there after the end of the campaign.

Refering to the rule, Trinamool Congress wrote to the commission that Roy is a non-voter of West Bengal and that he was seen in Kolkata on May 17 while campaigning activities were to stop from May 16, at 10 pm.

"Mukul Roy has written to the commission that the he will stay away from all the nine Lok Sabha constituencies and four assembly seats which go to the polls tomorrow (May 19)," Additional Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Basu told reporters.

CPI (M) leader Rabin Deb also told reporters that he had complained that Asansol Mayor and Trinamool MLA Jitendra Kumar Tiwari was seen in Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency. He demanded immediate sealing of all the borders.

Asked about special measures taken for the seventh phase, Basu said: "All the required measures as per the instructions of the Election Commission have been taken with sufficient deployment of Central and other forces".

He said around 1.5 crore voters will decide the fate of 111 candidates in nine seats.

There are 94 male candidates and 17 females.

Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata South and Kolkata North constituencies will vote in the final phase.

Also, by-election for four assembly constituencies -- Darjeeling, Islampur, Habibpur and Bhatpara -- will be held on May 19, he added.