TMC's Abhishek Banerjee alleged a major voter fraud 'theft', citing a video of Form 6 boxes in the CEO's office. He accused the BJP of trying to 'hijack the vote' in Bengal and raised concerns over the Election Commission's role in the matter.
All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday levelled serious allegations of voter fraud, claiming that a "theft" involving voter registration forms had been exposed and raising concerns over the integrity of the electoral process ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.
Video Evidence and Accusations Against BJP
Speaking to reporters here, Banerjee said that he had shared a video on social media purportedly showing boxes of Form 6 used for voter registration stacked inside the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). "The theft has been exposed. I have posted a tweet featuring a video in which it can be clearly seen that the CEO's office is filled with boxes of Form 6s. The theft has been caught in broad daylight," he alleged.
He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using similar methods to manipulate elections in other states. "This is precisely how they (BJP) won in Maharashtra and Haryana; this is precisely how they stole votes in Delhi. And in the very same manner, they now intend to hijack the vote in Bengal as well," Banerjee said.
Earlier in the day, Banerjee visited the office of the Election Commission of India in Kolkata to meet the state's Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Aggarwal, and formally raise the issue while seeking clarification over the alleged presence of large quantities of voter registration forms on the premises.
Concerns Over Electoral Demography Changes
Raising concerns over recent administrative changes, Banerjee said that the Election Commission had changed the demography of West Bengal by doing SIR in an improper way. "If anyone changed Bengal's demography, the BJP has changed the demography of West Bengal. CEC Gyanesh Kumar changed Bengal's demography. The Election Commission changed the demography of West Bengal by doing SIR in an improper way... How many officers were changed during the Tripura polls? You have seen that from the first phase, the second phase, many voters' names have been deleted. We will raise these issues in the Supreme Court..." he added.
Banerjee Slams Centre on 'Misuse of Agencies' and Border Policy
Taking aim at the Centre, Banerjee also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging misuse of state machinery against political opponents. "Look at all the internal conflicts currently unfolding across the country; in every instance, PM Modi invokes the rhetoric of nationalism. When one fights against an adversary, the objective is to empower and strengthen one's own nation. Instead, PM Modi is marshalling the entire machinery and might of the state to wage war against his own political opponents. I myself went to countries during 'Operation Sindoor', the Trinamool Congress stands shoulder-to-shoulder with you. Grant the CRPF the autonomy and the mandate to cross the border and launch strikes against Pakistan... The BSF and CRPF should be utilised to combat the nation's actual enemies, not your personal adversaries. You are fighting against your own political rivals; that is the fundamental difference..." he said.
He also questioned the Centre over border management and alleged inconsistencies in its stance on infiltration. "To this day, you have granted refuge to Sheikh Hasina, yet you claim that Bangladeshis have no place here. Tell us, on what grounds are you harbouring Sheikh Hasina? Is she a refugee, or is she an infiltrator? You are harbouring the biggest infiltrator of all, yet you accuse Mamata-ji of harbouring infiltrators. The responsibility for the border lies with you. The Central Armed Police Force is yours; the CRPF is yours; the international border is yours; the SSB is yours; Customs is yours, yet the responsibility is supposed to be ours? How can these two things coexist?..." Banerjee added.
"They said Mamata Banerjee changed the demography of Bengal. How many Bangladeshi were detected by ECI... They didn't give the count... But continuously they called West Bengal as Bangladesh..." he said.
'30,000 Bogus Applications Submitted'
He further asserted that a total of about 30,000 applications of Form 6 were submitted today, which are not from voters of the state. "You all know I had a public meeting in Purulia Baghmundi. During the public meeting, I got information that some Form 6 submissions are being done separately in the CEO's office. I tweeted those. It's in a box stored in 2nd floor. I tweeted those videos of Form 6. As per ECI, more than 50 Form 6s can't be submitted by anyone. A total of about 30,000 applications of Form 6 were submitted today, which are not from voters of West Bengal. As per the rules of EC, the CEO is not eligible to submit Form 6. I make points in front of the CEO to please publish the CCTV footage," he added.
Expressing confidence ahead of the polls, Banerjee asserted, "No matter what they do, TMC is going to defeat Gyanesh Kumar, Amit Shah and BJP in the 2026 Assembly elections."
The allegations come amid heightened political tensions in West Bengal, with parties gearing up for the upcoming state Assembly elections. The state will go to the polls in two phases, with voting scheduled on April 23 and April 29, while counting will take place on May 4.
In the 2021 Assembly elections in the state held in eight phases, the Trinamool Congress recorded a landslide victory with 213 seats amid an intense contest with the BJP, which jumped to 77 seats. Congress and Left Front drew a blank in the last state polls. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)