TMC's Sushmita Dev alleges 'Emergency-like' environment in Bengal

TMC MP Sushmita Dev accused the BJP and EC of creating an 'Emergency-like' situation in West Bengal by deleting lakhs of voters' names to defeat Mamata Banerjee, calling it a 'murder of democracy' amid claims of widespread voter fraud.

TMC Accuses BJP, EC of 'Murdering Democracy'

Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev launched a sharp attack against the BJP and the Election Commission over the reported deletion of voters in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in West Bengal, calling it an "environment resembling Emergency".

Speaking to ANI, Sushmita Dev accused the BJP of deleting voters' names from the list in order to defeat the TMC government in the West Bengal Assembly elections. She said, "The ECI and the BJP government together have created such an environment in Bengal during the elections that resembles the Emergency. Names of so many lakhs of voters have been deleted from the voter list. They know that unless they murder democracy in Bengal, it will be difficult for them to defeat Didi (Mamata Banerjee)."

Abhishek Banerjee Alleges 'Theft' of Voter Forms

Earlier on Monday, TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee levelled serious allegations of voter fraud against the BJP, claiming that a "theft" involving voter registration forms had been exposed and raising concerns over the integrity of the electoral process. Speaking to reporters, Banerjee said that he had shared a video on social media purportedly showing boxes of Form 6 used for voter registration stacked inside the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). "The theft has been exposed. I have posted a tweet featuring a video in which it can be clearly seen that the CEO's office is filled with boxes of Form 6s. The theft has been caught in broad daylight," he alleged.

BJP Hits Back, Accuses TMC of 'Hijacking' Elections

However, the BJP has also submitted a petition to the Election Commission of India (ECI), raising concerns over alleged attempts by the TMC to "hijack" the elections in West Bengal, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said. Rijiju made the remarks while addressing a joint press conference on Monday along with Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Sukanta Majumdar following a meeting with ECI officials at Nirvachan Sadan. A BJP delegation met the Commission and formally submitted its concerns regarding the conduct of elections in the state.

"We have come to submit a petition to the Election Commission. This is a very serious petition, and we have brought a very important issue to their attention. In the ongoing elections across five states, but particularly in West Bengal, there are attempts to completely hijack the elections, capture democracy entirely, and deprive people of their right to vote," Rijiju said. He accused the ruling TMC and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation among voters. "The havoc created through fear and intimidation in West Bengal by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress, and the situation they have created there, was a subject of serious discussion during our meeting with the Election Commission of India. The Chief Minister herself is threatening voters door-to-door, stating that those who vote for the BJP will not be spared," he added.

Over 61 Lakh Names Changed in Voter List

After the SIR exercise, the total number of voters in West Bengal now stands at 7,04,59,284 voters (7.04 crore) as compared to 7,66,37,529 (7.66 crore) before the SIR exercise, showing a change of more than 61 lakh names in the list. As per the Commission, 60,06,675 electors were under adjudication, and the first supplementary list of adjudicated names has been released.

The state will go to the polls in two phases, with voting scheduled on April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 4. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)