Permission for Yogi Adityanath's Kolkata meeting cancelled : BJP

Aditynath's meeting on James Long Sarani at Behala in south west Kolkata on May 15 was cancelled after the permission for it was withdrawn by the local administration, he said.

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister is scheduled to address a rally at Phoolbagan in north Kolkata and another at Habra in North 24 Parganas district on the same day, ahead of the last phase of polling on May 19, the party sources said.

The withdrawal of permission for Adityanath's meeting follows a similar action against BJP president Amit Shah's scheduled rally at Jadavpur Monday in the city.

"Democracy is a joke in West Bengal. Permission cancelled at last moment for @AmitShah Jis rally at Jadavpur.

Once again Yogi Adityanath Jis rally permission cancelled in South Kolkata. DM & CEO both are working as agent of ruling Trinamool Congress," BJP national secretary Sunil Deodhar said in a tweet.

The saffron party has claimed that the West Bengal government denied Shah permission to land his chopper and address the public meeting.

Accusing the West Bengal government of "replacing democracy with dictatorship", the BJP in the morning said the Election Commission has become a "mute spectator" to the Trinamool Congress's alleged undemocratic means to target the party.

The TMC, however, rebutted the allegations claiming that the BJP had cancelled Shah's rally fearing a low turnout.

It made no comments on Adityanath's rally.