Free, fair elections are not held in Bengal: Dhankhar

Free, fair elections without fear are not held in the state, Dhankhar told reporters during a visit to a temple in the western part of the city.The governor said it does not concern him for whom the people vote, but it is his duty to make sure that they get to exercise their franchise without any intimidation.

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday alleged that free and fair elections are not held in the state, and it his duty to ensure that people get the opportunity to exercise their franchise without fear. ''Free, fair elections without fear are not held (in the state),'' Dhankhar told reporters during a visit to a temple in the western part of the city.

The governor said it does not concern him for whom the people vote, but it is his duty to make sure that they get to exercise their franchise without any intimidation. He also urged the government machinery to be neutral during the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled in April- May next year.

The Trinamool Congress, which has been at loggerheads with Dhankhar since he became governor in July last year, has urged President Ram Nath Kovind to remove him, claiming that he has been working in an unconstitutional manner. ''Since taking over, the governor has been making wild allegations in a totally unconstitutional manner, against the state administration and the police,'' TMC spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said.

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