Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday smelt a “mischievous ploy” by the BJP to include the names of non-residents in the voter list of Bengal in collusion with the Election Commission of India (ECI) to hijack the Assembly polls next month.
In yet another letter to chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Bengal chief minister said it was a matter of deep concern that a constitutional authority such as the ECI appeared to be undermining the democratic and fundamental rights of the people of Bengal.
“The flawed and seemingly targeted special intensive revision (SIR) has caused severe hardship to millions, pushing many to the brink of disenfranchisement. Tragically, over 200 people have reportedly lost their lives in this process. It is deeply distressing that even such developments have not elicited a more humane and responsive approach from ECI,” wrote Mamata.
“We are now witnessing what appears to be another coordinated attempt by the BJP, in conjunction with the ECI, to interfere with the democratic rights of the people. Credible reports indicate that large numbers of Form 6 applications are being submitted by BJP agents at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer and across several districts,” she added in her three-page letter.
“These do not seem to be routine applications for voter inclusion but a mischievous ploy to include non-residents in the electoral roll. There are serious concerns that these applications may pertain to individuals who are not genuine residents of Bengal and have no legitimate connection to the state. Similar patterns were reportedly observed prior to elections in Bihar, Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi.”
The Trinamool Congress chairperson said such actions, if true, would be illegal, unconstitutional and fundamentally undemocratic, reflecting mala fide intent and ill motive, unbecoming of the standard expected of a constitutional authority.
Mamata followed up on and amplified the allegation levelled by her nephew and heir apparent Abhishek Banerjee, on Monday. The allegation concerns 30,000 Form 6 applications for inclusion submitted to Bengal chief electoral officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal — whose role, too, has drawn fire not only from Trinamool but also from the Congress and the Left — after the provisional “final” electoral roll was published on February 28.
“We reasonably apprehend that all these Applications under Form 6 would be allowed by the Election Commission without giving appropriate notice in the concerned booths and to all the political parties,” wrote Mamata.
By allowing a fresh window for additions until the last day of nomination, as outlined in Memo No. 3420-Home (Elec) of March 27, allowing addition through Form 6 and addition by shifting through Form 8 considered till the last day of nomination was “absolutely illegal and unfair”, said the letter. She said it violated the Supreme Court’s orders, besides being beyond the statutory scheme of the Registration of the Electors Rules, 1960.
Addressing a rally at Garbeta in West Midnapore on Tuesday, the Trinamool supremo tore into the BJP’s strategy.
“They are planning to transport outstation voters by railway, as they did in Bihar, to poll in (Bengal’s) seats,” she said, adding that the SIR exercise was a “targeted” strike on seats where Trinamool was strong. “They are afraid of Bengal. They forcefully want to capture Bengal.”
Denying charges that he was receiving thousands of Forms 6, CEO Agarwal said in the evening: “We have a receiving section in our office, and anybody can submit any number of papers in the receiving section.... These papers are sorted out by officers designated for this work. If required, they would discuss the issue with me.”
Sources on the poll panel said that submitting Form 6 at Agarwal’s office would not work as they must be submitted to the district election officers, who usually send them to the electoral registration officers concerned for disposal following proper investigation.
“Form 6 is disposed of by the ERO, not the CEO. Form 6 received at least 10 days before the last date of nominations, which are April 6 and 9 in case of the first and second phase of polls in Bengal, can be processed.... So it can be said that submitting Form 6 at the CEO office now would not help anybody insert names in the rolls,” claimed a source.
By then, however, Trinamool had filed a police complaint seeking a probe into the illegal mass submission of Form 6 applications by the BJP at Agarwal’s office.
State BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya responded to Mamata’s charges with sarcasm.
“Yes, people are indeed coming from outside, from other states. The countless who were forced to leave Bengal in search of livelihood are returning in vast multitudes, filling up trains to pay their respects to her. They will come celebrating their votes,”
he said.
“Why only from other states? Bengali (Indians) from all over the world, the Bengali friends of the BJP living abroad are all coming (to vote),” added Bhattacharya.
Additional reporting by Pranesh Sarkar