Electoral Chaos in West Bengal: TMC Accuses BJP of Misconduct

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has accused a BJP representative of attempting to illegally enroll out-of-state residents as voters in West Bengal by submitting a large number of Form 6 applications. The Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, has vowed to investigate these claims using CCTV footage.

The Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, has pledged to probe the alleged submission of unlawful voter enrollment forms by a representative linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This move follows allegations from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) that around 30,000 Form 6 applications were submitted to his office within a matter of hours.

Form 6 is designed for adding first-time voters or to facilitate voters switching constituencies. TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee has criticized this action as a clear breach of Supreme Court directives, expressing dissatisfaction with the responses given by the CEO and vowing not to let the issue pass without scrutiny.

Agarwal assured that the election panel is taking these complaints with the utmost seriousness. He plans to review CCTV footage to ascertain any missteps, emphasizing that legal action will follow for those found submitting false applications. Agarwal reiterated the appropriate use of Form 6 is solely for new voter inclusion.

(With inputs from agencies.)