Hindu, Hindi-speaking voters being removed from Bengal poll rolls, says Suvendu; TMC dismisses claim

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly further alleged that state government officials were in tacit collusion with the TMC and were engaging in similar activities.

Kolkata: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari on Monday alleged that Hindu and Hindi-speaking voters were being removed from the electoral rolls in West Bengal by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) under the guise of eliminating fake voters.

Addressing a press conference, Adhikari claimed that since February 27, many voters had been struck off the electoral list.

"Hindu voters' names are being removed from the voter list. I urge the Election Commission to sack the BDO of Krishnanagar," said Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly.

He further alleged that state government officials were in tacit collusion with the TMC and were engaging in similar activities.

"Hindu voters are being called and asked to prove that they are not Bangladeshis. Those submitting Form 7 are being forced to furnish proof," he claimed, adding that the BJP will stage peaceful protests in Bagda and Krishnanagar, where the party has received the most complaints.

Reacting to the allegations, senior TMC leader Jaiprakash Majumdar dismissed them as baseless.

"The fact is that the BJP is involved in inducting voters from Haryana and other states into West Bengal's voter list. Now that this voter rolls scam has been exposed, they are blaming us to divert attention," he said.

The controversy erupted after the TMC launched a voter verification drive, following Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's accusations that the BJP had inserted "outsider" voters into the electoral rolls with the alleged backing of the Election Commission.

Banerjee also claimed that the BJP had employed similar tactics in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Delhi in previous elections.

In response, TMC state president Subrata Bakshi directed district-level leaders to conduct a thorough verification of voter lists.

The process was completed within 10 days, with district presidents and chairpersons submitting their findings to the party's leadership.

Earlier this month, the Election Commission (EC) acknowledged reports about identical voter card numbers being issued in different states.

The poll body assured that the issue would be rectified and its technology-driven platform updated.

The EC clarified that duplicate numbers do not necessarily indicate fake voters.

"While the elector photo identity card (EPIC) numbers of some voters may be identical, other details, including demographic information, assembly constituency, and polling booth, are different," the poll panel said.

The Chief Electoral Office (CEO) of West Bengal has maintained that the voter list updation process is being conducted transparently with the involvement of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) appointed by political parties.

BJP has also demanded biometric verification of voters before polling to prevent electoral fraud.

The party alleged that attempts were being made, based on recommendations from TMC's political consultancy firm I-PAC, to remove voters from booths with a significant non-Bengali population.