Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Monday accused the TMC government of enrolling fake voters, including Rohingyas, in the electoral rolls in exchange for money, and demanded a CBI probe into the matter.
Reacting to Adhikari's allegations, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh dismissed them as "baseless and politically motivated".
Adhikari, who led a delegation of 40 BJP leaders to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) office here, alleged that Rohingyas were being added to the voter list in Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district for a bribe of Rs 10,000 per name.
"This is not an isolated incident in one district. Similar activities are being carried out across several districts. The administration acting under the instructions of the TMC leadership is being used to include fake names in the voter rolls," Adhikari told reporters after submitting a memorandum to the CEO's office.
"We demand a CBI investigation into the Kakdwip fake voter case. The state police and administration are completely compromised," he said.
Calling the issue a matter of national concern, Adhikari urged the Election Commission to act independently and ensure free and fair elections.
"Unlike the previous two occasions in 2016 and 2021, I will not allow the Trinamool Congress to win through manipulation and fake voters this time," he said.
The senior BJP leader, who was accompanied by party colleagues Shankar Ghosh, Tapas Roy, Arjun Singh, and Kaustav Bagchi, also referred to recent violence in Murshidabad district.
Citing a report by a Calcutta High Court-appointed committee, Adhikari alleged that police personnel in Dhulian and Samserganj remained unresponsive to distress calls from Hindu residents during the violence.
"If this is the conduct of the state police, how can they be trusted to conduct elections? That's why we are demanding that state police not be used during the election process," he said.
Adhikari further alleged that the state government was preparing to transfer police officers in a manner that would benefit the ruling party ahead of the 2026 assembly polls, and urged the Election Commission to monitor the process closely.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, "These are completely unfounded claims. If Rohingyas have managed to sneak into West Bengal, who is responsible for guarding the international border? It is the Border Security Force (BSF), which functions under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs." He questioned why the BJP, instead of holding the central government accountable, was blaming the state government.
"BSF is the first line of defence at the border. If there has been a failure, it is their lapse. The BJP should first question the MHA and their own central agencies before levelling allegations against us," Ghosh added.
The war of words comes at a time when both parties are preparing for the high-stakes assembly elections in the state due next year.
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