Ahead of polls, Form-7 dispute sparks statewide TMC-BJP showdown in Bengal

Kolkata: A controversy over the submission of Form-7 applications during the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls has snowballed into a major row in West Bengal on Monday, with the ruling TMC and opposition BJP clashing across several districts, triggering protests, and allegations of violence just three months before the assembly elections.

Monday marked the last date for voters to submit the Form-7, meant for raising objections and claims before the publication of the final electoral rolls.

The deadline saw heightened tensions as the TMC mounted statewide protests accusing the BJP of attempting to delete the names of "legitimate voters" by submitting Form-7 applications in bulk, while the BJP alleged intimidation, assault and destruction of documents by ruling party workers inside government offices.

In Asansol, TMC workers allegedly intercepted a vehicle carrying a large number of Form-7 applications to the office of the SDO.

TMC claimed BJP workers failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for carrying the forms, following which several of them were allegedly snatched and set on fire. The windscreen of the vehicle was also damaged before police intervened to bring the situation under control.

Local TMC leader Ashok Rudra alleged the BJP was conspiring to remove voters' names.

"If an ineligible voter's name needs to be deleted, we have no objection. But the BJP has brought Form-7s in bulk to delete voters' names through manipulation. We have information that applications were meant to remove the names of nearly 25,000 voters in Asansol North and South seats," he alleged.

Tension also flared in Murshidabad's Lalbagh, where BJP leaders alleged that TMC workers stormed the SDO office, assaulted party activists and vandalised property when Form-7 applications were being submitted.

BJP's Murshidabad organisational district president Soumen Mondal said, "We were submitting forms as per the schedule when TMC workers attacked us. The SDO office itself was ransacked."

TMC leader Shaoni Singh Roy rejected the charge, claiming BJP leaders had arrived with nearly 27,000 Form-7 applications. "They came fearing defeat in the elections and tried to remove the names of eligible voters. We reached the spot after receiving information," she said.

Protests were reported from Howrah, where TMC workers, led by local MLA Gautam Chowdhury, demonstrated outside the district magistrate's office, alleging harassment of voters during hearings.

In Malda's Chanchal-1 block, senior TMC leader and former IPS officer Prasun Banerjee led a sit-in at a hearing centre, protesting notices allegedly being sent en masse to voters.

In Paschim Bardhaman, TMC and CPI(M) workers jointly protested outside the Durgapur SDO office, alleging that elderly and differently-abled voters were being summoned to hearing centres, causing severe hardship.

In Budbud, TMC workers allegedly burnt tyres and blocked roads outside the BDO office, disrupting traffic in the locality for several hours.

District TMC spokesperson Ujjwal Mukhopadhyay alleged that the BJP was using the SIR exercise to quietly delete voters' names.

"Under the guise of revision, there is a conspiracy to cancel voters' names. Elderly people and daily wage earners are being forced to stand in queues for hours. If even one legitimate voter's name is removed, we will intensify our movement," he said.

Local CPI(M) leaders echoed similar concerns, particularly citing difficulties faced by voters in Kanksa block due to limited hearing centres.

The controversy intensified further in Hooghly's Chinsurah, where the BJP accused local TMC MLA Asit Majumdar and his supporters of entering the SDO office and tearing up Form-7 applications.

BJP leaders alleged that one of their activists was assaulted in the presence of police, who they claimed remained mute spectators.

Majumdar denied the charge of tearing forms, saying, "I do not know who did it. I did not see anything. But the BJP is trying to delete the names of valid voters. Our workers are present at hearing centres to prevent that. We will not allow even one voter's name to be removed."

Similar clashes were reported again in Asansol, where BJP supporters alleged that their workers were beaten while attempting to submit Form-7 applications, a charge denied by the TMC. Police later intervened to restore order.

The latest round of confrontations follows an incident last week in Bankura's Khatra subdivision, where TMC workers intercepted a vehicle allegedly carrying thousands of pre-filled Form-7 applications. Police seized the vehicle and documents and launched an investigation after TMC leaders claimed the forms were intended to delete the names of "legitimate voters" during the SIR process.

Form-7 is used to seek deletion of names from the electoral rolls on grounds such as death, relocation or duplication. While the Election Commission has repeatedly maintained that the revision exercise is routine and aimed at ensuring accurate voter lists, the issue has taken on sharp political overtones in poll-bound Bengal, where voter rolls have long been a contentious subject.

With the 294-member West Bengal Assembly elections due in about three months, the SIR process has emerged as a fresh battleground between the TMC and the BJP, adding to an already polarised political climate. As protests spread across districts and accusations fly thick and fast, the Form-7 row has firmly entrenched itself as a key campaign issue in the run-up to the high-stakes polls.