EC advices TMC leader Anubrata Mandal not to move out of his constituency

Kolkata: Election Commission on Saturday "specifically instructed" Birbhum District Magistrate to advice controversial Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mandal, who was put under 24x7 surveillance, not to move beyond his constituency.

"The Election Commission has specifically instructed the District Magistrate to advice him (Mandal) not to move beyond his constituency. That advice has been communicated to Mandal," Additional Chief Electoral Officer Dibyendu Sarkar said.

The EC had on Friday issued instructions to keep Mandal under 24x7 surveillance of the Central police force in the presence of a magistrate during the entire election period.

Sarkar, however, said no political leader whether he is a candidate or a voter or an election agent would be able to move out of his voting area till the polls were over.

"A political leader can stay in the assembly constituency where he is the candidate, he can stay in the area where he is the voter or an election agent but will not be able to move beyond the area where the poll is being conducted for 48 hours till the completion of polls. This is not specifically for Mandal only. This is the stand which is clearly there in the Commission's instruction," Sarkar said.

He said Mandal has been put under complete surveillance till the election process is over (May 22). "But surveillance does not mean that there is restriction on his movements. The surveillance is specially on his activities specially public utterances and public meetings and those will be put on record." For this there will be some central forces, some videographers and there will be one person of the rank of a magistrate, he added.