The Election Commission on Wednesday (15 May) for the first time decided to invoke article 324 to put an early stop to campaign in West Bengal amidst repeated incidents of violence and lawlessness, which have hampered the peaceful conduct of polls.

Unlike the rest of the country where the campaign will go on till Friday (17 May), the campaigning in Bengal will stop at 10 PM today (16 May).

The election commission also removed Mamata’s former top cop Rajeev Kumar from the post of ADG CID and he would now be attached to the Home Ministry. He has to report there at 10 AM today.

The commission also removed Principal Secretary Home Affairs West Bengal Atri Bhattacharya has also been removed from his post for interfering in the election process.

In response to this unprecedented action, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the commission of hatching a conspiracy against her government and for being in cahoots with Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah.

She also launched a personal attack against Prime Minister Modi by saying, “Narendra Modi you cannot take care of your wife, how can you take care of the country?”