About 1,80,367 voters are expected to exercise their franchise in Nandigram on Monday. Among them, 2,876 voters have no electoral photo identity cards.

A visit to the villages here reveals an uneasy calm prevailing with no clashes between the warring CPM and Trinamool Congress. During the panchayat polls, locals belonging to Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) were worried about police and armed CPM goons and had doubted the fairness of the polls. But, this time, the situation has totally changed with most of the villages coming under

Trinamool’s domination and many being out of bounds for CPM cadres.

The CPM’s district leadership is not enthusiastic about its party’s prospects. Ashok Guria, a CPM district secretariat member, said: “If people can exercise their rights freely at each booth in the trouble-torn villages, we will win the polls. Many of our party workers and supporters are still staying outside their villages after being driven out by the Opposition cadres. We have lodged complaints with the Election Commission, but a day before the polls, most of our evicted cadres are yet to return home.”

A visit to Jalpai, Basantibazar, Maheshpur, Hazrakata, Sonachura, Kalicharanpur, Kendemari and Boyal, reveals that none of the CPM cadres have dared to come out on the streets to speak in favour of their party.

“I have been repeatedly threatened by the Trinamool workers and warned against campaigning for our party. I have been only allowed to stay in my village as I have obeyed their instruction,” said Harun-al-Rashid, a former CPM panchayat upa-pradhan of Jalpai village.

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