Kolkata, March 31: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating a plan to illegally include voters from outside the state into West Bengal’s electoral rolls. She alleged that the move, purportedly aimed at influencing the upcoming elections, involved enlisting individuals from states ruled by the NDA, including Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
Chief Minister’s Allegations and Letter to Election Commission
The allegations were made during multiple election rallies held by Banerjee in Paschim Medinipur and Bankura districts. Concurrently, she dispatched a strongly worded letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, detailing her concerns. In the letter, Banerjee asserted that the Form 6 applications, used for inclusion in the electoral rolls, were being submitted for individuals who are not genuine residents of West Bengal and have no legitimate connection to the state. She characterized these applications as illegal, unconstitutional, and fundamentally undemocratic, indicative of a malicious intent.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that this development followed a meeting between TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal in Kolkata the previous day. Abhishek Banerjee had alleged that the BJP was submitting a significant number of Form 6 applications to introduce outstation voters into the electoral rolls of poll-bound West Bengal.
Specific Claims and Electoral Roll Manipulations
Addressing a rally in Chandrakona, Paschim Medinipur, Mamata Banerjee stated that Abhishek had informed her about the rush of applications to include new voters, with nearly 30,000 forms reportedly submitted in a single day. She reiterated her accusation that the BJP was attempting to enroll illegal voters from Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, with plans to transport these outstation voters by train to cast votes in constituencies like Asansol and Kharagpur. The chief minister also expressed concerns on X, formerly Twitter, about the Election Commission of India (ECI) allegedly rushing to process bulk fraudulent applications while a substantial number of genuine voters remained under adjudication. She described this as an illegal assault on free and fair elections.
The day also witnessed clashes between supporters of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP outside the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Kolkata. Booth-level officers, perceived to be aligned with the ruling TMC, reportedly protested against alleged voter list manipulation through the bulk submission of Form 6 applications.
Broader Accusations and Political Rhetoric
Addressing further rallies in Garbeta and Bishnupur, Bankura, Banerjee warned of public resistance if the BJP proceeded with integrating illegal voters. She also drew parallels to similar alleged tactics employed by the BJP in Bihar, Maharashtra, and Delhi, suggesting that opposition parties in those states had failed to counter the alleged ploy. She referred to the BJP as a “barbaric party” that allegedly tortures Bengali-speaking migrants and detains TMC MPs. Banerjee further claimed that the BJP “hates Bengal” and is envious of Bengali youths’ intellect, professional success, and cultural superiority.
The Chief Minister also accused the BJP of colluding with the Election Commission to remove names of women and minority voters from the state’s electoral rolls under the guise of a Special Summary Revision (SSR) process. She expressed sorrow over individuals from Hindu, tribal, Muslim, and Scheduled Caste communities, as well as the elderly, having to appeal to tribunals after their names were deleted. According to the post-SSR electoral rolls released on February 28, approximately 63.66 lakh names, representing about 8.3 percent of the electorate, had been removed since November of the previous year, reducing the voter base. Additionally, over 60 lakh electors were categorized as “under adjudication.”
Banerjee also stated that her legal challenge in the Supreme Court had led to the addition of 22 lakh names to the rolls. She further alleged that the BJP and the EC were stripping citizens of their rights and vowed to fight these actions. The chief minister used strong rhetoric, accusing the BJP of engineering riots, stopping funds to West Bengal, and converting constitutional bodies into party offices. She called for the removal of the BJP-led central government.
The Chenab Times News Desk