Clashes erupt over BJP’s attempts to ‘smuggle’ voters into West Bengal
Kolkata: Tensions ran high outside the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Kolkata, West Bengal, as Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party workers clashed over allegations of bulk submissions of Form 6 applications.
According to Kashmir Media Service, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to the Chief Election Commissioner, accusing the BJP of attempting to “smuggle non-residents and outsiders” into the state’s electoral rolls. Banerjee claimed that BJP agents were submitting thousands of fraudulent Form 6 applications, calling it an “attempt at voter hijacking”.
The CEO, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, responded by saying it’s not his job to check Form 6 submissions, sparking further controversy. The Trinamool Congress alleged that the BJP was trying to enroll voters from outside Bengal to influence the polls.
Central forces and local police were deployed to control the situation. The Election Commission has started accepting online applications from voters who have been deleted from the final voter list and want to contest the decision.
