TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday met state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal and alleged that a large number of Form 6s for inclusion of new voters in the electoral roll were being illegally submitted by people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. He also accused the Opposition BJP of trying to change the demography of West Bengal.
Speaking to reporters after a five-member TMC delegation, led by him, met the CEO, Abhishek said, “We have credible information that about 30,000 Form 6s were submitted to the CEO’s office in six to seven hours today, in clear violation of Supreme Court directives… Some have made videos and sent them to us. Form 6s are being stored on the second floor of the CEO’s office, and according to the rules, no one can submit more than 50 Form 6s.”
He claimed that a representative of a BJP leader brought a “sackful of Form 6” to the CEO’s office, and demanded 24-hour CCTV footage from 11 am.
Accusing the BJP of trying to change the demography of Bengal, the TMC MP said, “Here they (BJP) want to change the democracy of West Bengal. They always say that CM (Mamata Banerjee) has changed the demography of West Bengal, but they were not able to show any Bangladeshi in the list. Those whose names are in the voters’ lists of Bihar and UP are being made to enter West Bengal. It is the EC and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar who are changing the demography of the state.”
Alleging that the BJP wants to make West Bengal into UP and Bihar, he said, “The BJP will decide what one will eat. They want to change the demography. They don’t want a change in Bengal. They want a Bengal where permission has to be taken from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Durga Puja. They want to convert Bengal into UP, Bihar, and Gujarat.”
“If anyone sees West Bengal as a hub of Bangladeshis, it is Amit Shah, Modi and the centre. Since nothing is working, they (BJP) either have to add or delete voters. Till date, the Tribunal for including voters post SIR adjudication has not been constituted,” he said.
In a letter to the CEO, the TMC made five demands – “immediate release of 24 hour CCTV footage of Office of Chief Electoral Officer to establish the scale and nature of Form 6 submissions; full disclosure of the number of Form 6 applications received, accepted, and processed, along with the precise legal provisions under which such actions have been taken; immediate rejection and discarding of all fraudulent and bulk Form 6 applications submitted in violation of the law; number of how many such Form 6 submissions and under what provisions and on whose instructions; why is the West Bengal CEO office receiving such fraudulent Form 6 applications in the first place when it is statutorily not empowered to do so?”
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“If they have nothing to hide, then they would make the CCTV footage public,” the MP from Diamond Harbour said.
The TMC leader also questioned the “large-scale reshuffle” of officials and police officers in poll-bound West Bengal, unlike in three other states – Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala – where elections are set to take place next month.
Tanusree Bose is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Kolkata. Her work focuses sharply on the complex administrative, political, and judicial developments across West Bengal, establishing her as an authoritative voice in regional news coverage.
Experience
Current Role: Reports for the prestigious national daily, The Indian Express, providing her content with a high level of Trustworthiness.
Geographical Expertise: Provides focused, in-depth coverage of West Bengal, demonstrating an intimate knowledge of the state's news and political nuances.
Core Authority: Her reporting portfolio highlights deep Expertise in crucial, often sensitive, beats, including:
State Politics and Governance: Covering the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), opposition strategies (BJP), and internal political controversies.
Judicial and Administrative Affairs: Closely monitoring key developments in the Calcutta High Court, particularly major rulings related to employment, education, and social issues.
Education Sector: Extensive reporting on significant controversies, such as teacher recruitment irregularities and administrative actions by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE).
Social & Electoral Issues: Covering public events, community tensions (e.g., religious/political gatherings), and election-related processes like the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll.
Tanusree Bose's consistent output and focus on high-stakes regional issues for a trusted media outlet underscore her status as a reliable and authoritative source for news from West Bengal. ... Read More
