Is Suvendu Adhikari Exposing Duplicate Voter ID Entries in West Bengal?
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Key Takeaways
Kolkata, Oct 28 (NationPress) The Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, highlighted what he termed a significant breach of electoral integrity on Tuesday. He raised concerns with the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding a Trinamool Congress councillor who is purportedly in possession of two voter ID cards (EPICs) from distinct Assembly constituencies within the state.
Adhikari asserted that Namita Sardar, the incumbent councillor from Ward No. 7 of Baruipur Municipality in the South 24 Parganas district, is simultaneously registered as a voter in both the Baruipur Paschim and Kultali Assembly constituencies located in the same district.
The BJP leader accused Sardar of breaching electoral regulations, asserting that her dual registrations reveal a tactic by Trinamool Congress officials to “manipulate the system.”
In a formal complaint submitted to the ECI, Adhikari provided evidence of the councillor’s voter registrations in both constituencies, including scanned copies of the voters’ lists that display her name in each.
Interestingly, Namita Sardar's spouse, Bivas Sardar, serves as the Trinamool Congress MLA for the Baruipur (Purba) Assembly constituency, also in South 24 Parganas.
Adhikari emphasized that this matter transcends administrative oversight and represents a “deliberate distortion” of the democratic process.
“Namita Sardar is recognized as a voter in a municipal area in one constituency while being registered as a voter in a panchayat area in another. This constitutes a flagrant breach of electoral regulations,” the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly remarked.
“This exemplifies how the Trinamool Congress is manipulating the system. While they preach about democracy, their leaders treat voter registries as their personal assets,” Adhikari added.
He urged the Election Commission to promptly revoke the duplicate EPICs issued to Namita Sardar and to initiate legal proceedings against her for infringing on election laws.
“The citizens of West Bengal deserve transparent elections, not a voter fraud operation run by the Trinamool Congress,” Adhikari stated, calling for immediate action from the ECI.