Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Apr 1: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday intensified its attack on the Election Commission of India (EC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging collusion to include voters from other states in West Bengal’s electoral rolls ahead of the assembly elections.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, raising what she termed a “grave conspiracy” against the democratic rights of the people of the state.
The controversy escalated after TMC supporters claimed to have caught BJP workers allegedly submitting bulk Form 6 applications at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Kolkata. Police intervened to prevent clashes between rival party workers.
State Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwala stated that there is no restriction on the number of documents a person can submit, adding that his office does not directly add or delete names from electoral rolls and only processes applications as per rules.
TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused the BJP of “perfecting the art of voter roll tampering,” claiming similar practices were earlier seen in Delhi and Maharashtra. He alleged that electoral rolls, rather than electronic voting machines, were being used to manipulate elections.
Banerjee also shared a video purportedly showing cartons of Form 6 applications being submitted in bulk, raising concerns about attempts to include voters from states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh into West Bengal’s rolls.
Mamata Banerjee further alleged that while over 60 lakh genuine voters remain under adjudication following the Special Intensive Revision, the EC was allowing large-scale submission of what she described as fraudulent applications.
Calling the exercise “undemocratic” and in violation of Supreme Court directives, she urged the EC to halt the process immediately and ensure no additions are made after the final electoral roll publication on February 28.
The TMC has been campaigning against the EC for months, accusing it of manipulating voter lists to benefit the BJP, a charge denied by the poll panel.