LF won through hi-tech rigging: Mamata

Kolkata, May 19 (UNI) In an interesting twist to the Left victory in West Bengal, Trinammool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today alleged that the CPI(M)-led Left Front resorted to a "high-tech rigging" to win the Assembly election.

Stopping short of accusing the Election Commission, Ms. Banerjee demanded a judicial inquiry into the whole electoral process in the state and said the party would soon send letters to the Election Commission and the Central government, in this regard. " The CPI(M) has won only through high-tech rigging by tampering with the Electronic Voting Machines, instead of mannual rigging which it used to practice earlier," she told reporters at a hurriedly convened press conference at her residence.

The Trinamool Congress supremo alleged that the voting machines were tampered with in the period between the elections and the day of counting.

She said the party had intimated the Election Commission about the possibilites of such a malpractice way back in 2004.

" We came to know from a US blogger that such practice is very much possible. We informed the EC in August, 2004. It has been proved that these machines can be tampered. Most of the people told us they had voted for us but then where did the votes go?, " she wondered.

" We had apprehended such an outcome of the elections. Now it has been proved true, " she stated.

Earlier before the elections, she had told newspersons that the EC was working in their favour and the Opposition, specially her party, would win the elections this time. But later during a press meet she said she would comment on what was going on only after the elections were over.

UNI KDG KK DB1953