Kolkata, Dec 10 (NationPress) A bag filled with hundreds of voter cards was discovered among a pile of trash near National Highway 12 in the Santipur region of Nadia district in West Bengal on Wednesday morning.

This marks the second occurrence of such a troubling incident in the district within a two-week period, raising alarms among both residents and political factions, especially as the Election Commission conducts the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process across the state.

Local inhabitants were the first to spot the abandoned bag. Upon opening it and finding what seemed to be voter cards, they promptly alerted the police. Officers from the Ranaghat Police District responded and confiscated the materials. A significant number of the cards were said to bear addresses from North 24 Parganas. In addition to the voter cards, various other documents were also uncovered.

A senior official from the Ranaghat Police District remarked, “We have retrieved the cards. An investigation is underway to determine whether these cards are authentic or fraudulent.”

The situation has escalated into a political issue, particularly with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee set to visit the district on Thursday for multiple events, including a public gathering in Krishnanagar. The discovery has ignited a verbal conflict between representatives of the TMC and the BJP.

Tapan Sarkar, a local leader from the Trinamool Congress and member of the Santipur Panchayat Samiti, claimed, “As the Chief Minister travels along National Highway 12, these cards have been smuggled from other districts and discarded here. This is orchestrated by the BJP, who aim to embarrass Mamata Banerjee.”

The BJP dismissed the accusation, asserting that this incident is a byproduct of the ongoing SIR initiative in the state.

“The location where the bag containing the voter cards was found falls under TMC control. These cards were used in previous elections. With the SIR procedure in full effect, the Trinamool Congress has destroyed these cards as they are now obsolete,” alleged Somnath Kar, district secretary of the BJP in Ranaghat.

Earlier, on December 2, approximately 100 counterfeit and duplicate voter cards were discovered in a drain in Nabadwip, also situated in Nadia district. The names and addresses on those cards corresponded with some local residents, even though their original voter cards remained in their possession.

This previous incident had already raised questions regarding the origin of the duplicate cards and their production methods, and the recent recovery has intensified these concerns.