A massive political storm has erupted in West Bengal after TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee alleged a conspiracy to rig the voter list. Abhishek claimed that BJP workers entered the Election Commission office on Monday with sacks of ‘Form-6’ to illegally include voters from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in Bengal’s electoral rolls. Following these high-voltage allegations, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal has addressed the issue.

• EC’s Clarification: Speaking on the matter, the CEO clarified that merely submitting Form-6 does not guarantee entry into the voter list. “Our office receives many letters and complaints. We forward all Form-6 submissions to the EROs via District Magistrates for thorough verification,” he stated.
• Verification Process: Regarding the claim of 30,000 forms being submitted, the CEO mentioned that he needs to verify the exact numbers. He emphasized that the ERO (Electoral Registration Officer) is responsible for scrutinizing the eligibility of any individual applying for a spot on the list.
• CCTV Footage & Response: On the demand for releasing CCTV footage, Agarwal noted that the office recently moved to this building and will coordinate with the Shipping Corporation to look into it. He added that the Commission is currently drafting a formal response to the Trinamool Congress’s letter.

With elections looming, these allegations of administrative lapses and voter infiltration have added a fresh layer of tension to the Bengal polls.