Kolkata, March 30 (NationPress) Abhishek Banerjee, the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress, protested on Monday at the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office in West Bengal, alleging widespread irregularities in voter registration. He accused BJP members of colluding with the Election Commission to manipulate the electoral process.

After his meeting with the CEO in Kolkata, Banerjee expressed grave concerns over the claims that the BJP was attempting to disrupt West Bengal's democratic integrity by submitting a multitude of Form 6 applications aimed at including non-residents from Bihar in the state's voter rolls.

“We received information that several Form 6 applications were submitted directly to the CEO office. A supportive source provided us with a video showing Form 6 applications stored in boxes on the second floor. According to regulations, no individual should submit more than 50 Form 6 applications. However, we have evidence indicating that approximately 30,000 such applications were filed for Assembly constituencies like Barrackpore, Noapara, Egra, Shyampukur, and Chowrangee,” Banerjee stated.

He continued, “Such a vast number of submissions would require at least 600 individuals to be present. We requested CCTV footage, yet the CEO could not provide satisfactory answers. This is an illegal act. Similar incidents occurred in Delhi, Maharashtra, and Haryana. During our meeting with the full bench, I remarked that theft is occurring in the electoral rolls, and the Supreme Court’s directives are being ignored. Today, we caught the Election Commission in the act. If any non-resident attempts to vote, the people of Bengal will respond decisively.”

Banerjee further claimed that Amit Malviya, the BJP IT Cell chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, exerted pressure on the CEO to approve these Form 6 applications.

“The BJP is altering the demographic landscape in Bengal. The Election Commission is also involved in this demographic shift. They are working together to incorporate outsiders from Bihar into Bengal's electoral rolls to sway the voting results here,” Banerjee added.

He also criticized the Election Commission for its frequent transfers of state government officials.

“Elections in other states occur within two weeks without such disruptions. How many officials were changed there? In Bengal, 395 officials have been reassigned. Bengal is being unjustly targeted. The Central government perceives Bengal as Bangladesh. In Tripura, only five officers were changed,” he claimed.

“I learned that five individuals were reassigned at the CEO office today, and all of them are Bengali. If there’s anyone seeking a demographic shift in Bengal, it’s the BJP,” he asserted.

Banerjee pointed out that reports of “logical discrepancies” are unique to West Bengal. “Such discrepancies are non-existent in Kerala, Bihar, or Uttar Pradesh. The Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were inadequately trained, which is why we opposed this poorly planned SIR,” he concluded.