Kolkata, March 7 (NationPress) The Trinamool Congress has formally lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging multiple significant irregularities in the nomination papers submitted by BJP candidate Rahul Sinha for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in West Bengal.

State Power Minister Aroop Biswas has documented a comprehensive complaint regarding this issue.

As per the minister's statements, the complaint highlights that numerous serious procedural mistakes and irregularities were detected during the validation of Rahul Sinha's nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha elections.

On March 5, he submitted the required affidavit (Form-26) along with his nomination documents. Allegations state that the Returning Officer found certain discrepancies during the preliminary review and provided a ‘checklist’.

Aroop Biswas further asserted that at that moment, several ‘boxes’ in the affidavit were left incomplete, which was noted in the presence of witnesses during the nomination process.

However, after the affidavit was uploaded on the state Chief Electoral Officer's website, it appeared that most of the ‘boxes’ were either filled or marked as ‘not applicable’. This has led to suspicions that a revised version of the affidavit may have been submitted later.

In the complaint, the state minister indicated that during the verification, when several authorized representatives attempted to contest the discrepancies in the affidavit, the Returning Officer disregarded their objections.

Instead, they were instructed to raise their concerns later and submit them in written form, even though the decision to validate the nomination was made at that time.

“Rahul Sinha's affidavit contains incomplete or conflicting information across various areas, including income tax details, criminal record declarations, property information, investment details, and vehicle information.

“It is also claimed that while the total asset value is cited as ‘zero’, assets have been listed in earlier sections of the affidavit.

“Additionally, it has been alleged that although a loan is registered under Rahul Sinha’s wife's name, the pertinent asset details related to her have been omitted. A significant discrepancy has also been noted between the declared asset values and their actual market worth,” Biswas stated.

The Trinamool Congress has also referenced a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court, asserting that no ‘box’ within a candidate’s affidavit should be left unfilled and that no incomplete information should be submitted.

“Voters are entitled to know the complete information about the candidates, which is intertwined with their right to freedom of expression under the Constitution,” Biswas added.

In light of these issues, the Trinamool Congress has called for a thorough examination of the entire process concerning Rahul Sinha’s nomination and has requested that it be annulled in accordance with the law.

The minister has urged the Election Commission to address the matter swiftly and undertake necessary legal actions.