Opposition BJP, CPM and Congress on Wednesday accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of overpowering booth-level officers (BLOs) to manipulate the enumeration process of the special intensive revision (SIR) that began on Tuesday.
In Hooghly’s Khanakul, a BLO was spotted marching with a group of at least six Trinamool workers carrying party flags during the distribution of enumeration forms. The BLO of booth 292 of Marokhana gram panchayat in the Khanakul Assembly constituency, Md Sariful Mollah, was found visiting voters’ doorsteps accompanied by Trinamool workers with party flags.
“How can Trinamool workers with their party flags accompany a BLO who is appointed by the Election Commission? The ruling party leaders have been overpowering BLOs to manipulate the enumeration process. We have already brought the issue to the notice of the district election authorities,” said Khanakul BJP MLA Sushanta Ghosh.
“This was not a one-off instance. We have received complaints that Trinamool leaders have been filling up enumeration forms at their so-called assistance booths. We fear that if the forms are filled up in camps, illegal voters can be included,” added Ghosh.
The BJP alleged that Abbas Ali, the district Trinamool minority wing president, has been leading such malpractices in Khanakul to manipulate the enumeration process.
“The BLO had come to our camp to gather information about households. Our people went to show him the houses. The BJP MLA has falsely accused our party workers by posting photos and videos on social media. People know it is the BJP that wants to cause suffering, while Trinamool stands with the people,” said Ali.
BLO Mollah, however, claimed that he suddenly discovered that a group of youths had joined him with party flags.
“I was alone, and that is why I sought the help of a person from the local panchayat to help me identify the houses. However, some Trinamool workers suddenly joined me with party flags. I immediately asked them to leave me,” said Mollah.
Complaints have been coming in from multiple places, including Howrah, Murshidabad, and East and West Burdwan districts, where Trinamool leaders were accused of overpowering BLOs during the distribution of enumeration forms.In booth 70 of Murshidabad’s Bhagabangola, a BLO, Md Sohel Hossain, was caught by the CPM’s booth-level agent (BLA) distributing enumeration forms from the house of local Trinamool leader Manirul Islam.
It was alleged that the BLO had distributed around 200 enumeration forms from the ruling party leader’s residence. The CPM’s BLA, Debanshu Malakar, immediately lodged a complaint with the local block development officer. The BDO claimed that it stopped the distribution of enumeration forms and that he informed his superiors about Hossain.
Congress national working committee member and former state president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused Trinamool's Nawda block president, Safiujjaman Sheikh, of distributing enumeration forms from his house.
“The Trinamool block president took the enumeration forms from the BLO and has been distributing them from his custody. If this is how the SIR is being conducted, it clearly shows what kind of election we can expect here,” said Chowdhury.
Safiujjaman denied the charge.
In East Burdwan’s Kalna, at least 200 Aadhaar cards were recovered from near a pond. The BJP alleged these scrapped Aadhaar cards were of people who fled the country fearing the SIR. Trinamool distanced itself from the issue. The local administration, however, has yet to determine where the Aadhaar cards came from.