Suvendu Adhikari, a prominent BJP leader, has claimed that the voting in thousands of booths during the West Bengal Panchayat Elections 2023 was rigged.
Suvendu Adhikari has announced his plan to present evidence of the alleged malpractice to the Calcutta High Court. Adhikari further stated that the BJP had recommended repolling in 6,000 booths, where false voting purportedly occurred under the influence of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
However, he asserted that the State Election Commission (SEC) overlooked their list and instead announced repolling based on a list submitted by the TMC. Adhikari revealed that the BJP is amassing substantial evidence, including video footage, which they plan to submit to the Calcutta High Court on the day of vote counting. The BJP leader also criticized the efficacy of the peace room established by the governor, expressing disappointment in the lack of desired results.
BJP has accused the West Bengal State Election Commission (SEC) of not giving importance to the thousands of booths where they believe voting should have been conducted again during the panchayat elections. Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition, claimed that he is collecting evidence of alleged malpractice in several thousands of booths and intends to move the Calcutta High Court with this evidence.
The BJP had reportedly submitted a list of 6,000 booths to the SEC recommending repoll, citing instances of false voting allegedly orchestrated by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). Adhikari claimed that actual malpractices occurred in 18,000 booths and that the BJP is gathering additional evidence, including video footage, to support their claims. Repolling has been scheduled for 696 booths across the state, where the original voting was declared void due to reports of vote tampering and violence.
He stated that the evidence being collected by the BJP would demonstrate the TMC’s complicity in the violence during the elections. Adhikari further mentioned that detailed evidence, accompanied by video footage, would be submitted to the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday, which coincides with the day of vote counting.
In response to a question, Adhikari expressed disappointment with the outcome of the peace room opened by the governor at Raj Bhavan to address citizens’ concerns about criminal intimidation during the pre-poll period. It appears that he believes people are seeking concrete results from such initiatives.
There were also three Congress leaders killed in violence during Panchayat polls in West Bengal. Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury meets family members of a party worker who was allegedly killed during violence that ensued during Panchayat polls, in Murshidabad.