Surjya urges leaders to man booths

Tamluk: From shaping the jote against the ruling party to fighting the Trinamool vote machine at his home turf at Narayangarh, CPM state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra has faced many a serious hurdle. But holding elections in East Midnapore seems the toughest.
The challenge there is to field polling agents in Subhendu Adhikari's bastion. Mishra wants jote leaders to act as polling agents if they can't find enough people to manage the polling booths.
Battling defections and ousters, CPM has been bleeding in these parts failing to muster men - and support- to reclaim its once-impregnable bastion.Mishra wants leaders to start from the scratch, taking a cue from what a CPM leader from Kolkata did to man a polling booth. In the April 21 polls, 60-year-old CPM state committee member Ratna Dutta, set an example by manning a booth under Entally constituency. She was the party's poll agent from 5:45 am till 7 pm. Dutta didn't have to man the booth herself. "I sensed a certain anxiety and fear among the two party workers who were entrusted with the responsibility. I volunteered to them, will it help if I sat with them as a polling agent. They were very relieved. I could do it for I too am a voter there. The circumstances necessitated it, I am a party worker first-a leader later," she said.
Dutta's day-long stay at the Holy Cross Convent School's booth number 216 was eventful. "Around 2:30 pm, nearly 12-15 women stepped inside the booth together intending to vote. Neither of them had their EPIC cards. I sensed they were false voters. I didn't confront them, I simply besieged the Presiding Officer not to break rules by allowing people to vote only by voting slips." Dutta said.
This, however, didn't go unnoticed. Mishra referred to this first in a public meeting urging party leaders to take up the role should they find no polling agent. "A leader is one who takes the lead, doesn't lag behind. I don't want to hear that we have failed to put up polling agents. If need be let the leaders take up the responsibility," he said. CPM East Midnapore district secretary Niranjan Shee said, "We are very confident of putting polling agents in every East Midnapore booth. "
Trinamool leader Subhendu Adhikari said, "They don't have people to man at least 1000 booths in East Midnapore, hope they have so many local leaders. But we welcome them. In previous elctions we haven't been accused of any intimidation or attack ," he said.