Didi To CEC: Reject BJP-Bid To Add 30k Voters To WB List From Other States

Kolkata: Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the BJP of trying to fudge the state’s electoral list with the addition of around 30,000 voters from other states through fraudulent applications after the last phase of the special intensive revision (SIR). In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, she urged poll panel not to "entertain" the applications.

In her letter, Banerjee cited credible reports to claim that “large numbers of Form 6 applications are being submitted by BJP agents at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer and across several districts. These do not seem to be routine applications for voter inclusion but a mischievous ploy to include non-residents in the electoral roll.”

“There are serious concerns that these applications may pertain to individuals who are not genuine residents of Bengal and have no legitimate connection to the state,” Banerjee wrote.

“Such actions, if true, would be illegal, unconstitutional and fundamentally undemocratic, reflecting mala fide intent and ill motive. This is not the standard expected of a constitutional authority. The people have the right to transparency and to the protection of their voting rights,” Banerjee added in the letter that was written on the party letterhead rather than that of the Chief Minister.

She stated that she had “reasonable apprehensions” that the 30,000-odd applications would be “allowed by the EC without giving appropriate notice to the concerned booths (sic) and to all the political parties”.

She also claimed, “Similar patterns were reportedly observed prior to elections in Bihar, Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi. Such actions, if true, would be illegal, unconstitutional and fundamentally undemocratic, reflecting mala fide intent and ill motive. This is not the standard expected of a constitutional authority.”

Banerjee referred to the Supreme Court's February 20 order stating that claims and objections to inclusion or deletion of names in the final electoral rolls would be scrutinised by judicial officers, and maintained that the decision of the state's CEO or any other administrative officers on the Form 6 applications was “totally illegal and beyond the scope” of the apex court's order.

She also referred to an EC memo, dated March 27, allowing addition through Form 6 and addition by shifting through Form 8, considered till the last day of nomination. The order was “absolutely illegal and unfair by reasons of the Orders of the Supreme Court and beyond the statutory scheme of the Registration of the Electors Rules 1960”, the TMC supremo said.