Bagdi is being backed by the Trinamool Congress of Mamata Banerjee.The Election Commission ruled that Bagdi cannot fight on the Trinamool symbol as he had not filed Form B, which is necessary for an independent candidate wanting to fight on the symbol of a political party. Bagdi has alleged that Marxist activists had physically prevented him from reaching the election office on time for submission of the requiredform.

While the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has denied the charge, the Trinamool Congress is reportedly annoyed at Bagdi's failure to submit Form B. According to Trinamool sources, some top leaders are smelling a rat behind the fiasco. Bagdi has denied allegations that he had purposely avoided submitting the form as he perceived that contesting on the Trinamool symbol would mean losing the votes of some 40,000 Marxist supporters in the constituency.

The four-time state legislator from Bankura is seen as a wronged leader by many Marxist supporters. Some political observers say Bagdi may have wanted to avoid the Trinamool symbol because using it might also mean losing the anti-BJP votes. Wrangling over Bankura had earlier threatened to jeopardise the alliance between the BJP and Trinamool as both wanted to contest there.

While the BJP wanted to field its last year's candidate Sukumar Banerjee, Trinamool named its own nominee whom it later withdrew in favour of Bagdi. After much politicalgerrymandering, the BJP relinquished its claim. Though an independent, Bagdi agreed to the Trinamool demand that he contest the election on its symbol of two flowers joined at the base, signifying grassroots or Trinamool.

The CPI-M claimed Bagdi had fabricated the attack story to cover up his own political intentions. The party reasoned that the independent candidate, who hails from the Bankura region, should have known the bad road conditions in the area and should have started out for the election office well in advance to meet the 3.00 p.m. deadline.

According to another section of politicians, Bagdi's Gangatantrik Pratibadi Mancha, an anti-Marxist forum he set up recently, had warned him against contesting on the Trinamool symbol. Bagdi had himself reportedly conceded recently that the forum did not subscribe to many of the views of the BJP-Trinamool combine. But Bagdi rubbishes all such charges.

He said he would not have started campaigning with the Trinamool symbol if he had different plans. Bagdisaid he had already printed thousands of posters and banners with the Trinamool symbol.

"Why will I waste money on making these posters if I did not intend to contest on the Trinamool symbol?" he asked while speaking to reporters.According to Trinamool general secretary Mukul Roy, Bagdi had stated that he wanted to fight the polls on the party's flower symbol and it was due to a conspiracy that he had not been able to submit the required papers.

Roy said his party believed, as did Bagdi, that the court would take the circumstances into consideration and allow the independent candidate to contest on the Trinamool symbol.

-- India Abroad News Service