BJP writes to EC alleging discrepancies in West Bengal’s draft voter list

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], December 15   BJP leader and MLA from Rajarhat Sabyasachi Dutta on Tuesday wrote to Sunil Arora, Chief Election Commissioner of India complaining about the discrepancies observed in the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI) personnel posted for publication of draft voter list and handing of claims and objections in West Bengal.
In the letter, the BJP MLA alleged that a draft voter list published on November 18, 2020, has been prepared by a “section of ECI personnel whose main objective is to satisfy the ruling party for their own personal gains and not to establish the objective of the ECI.”
“The ECI personnel have intentionally not deleted names of the dead voters or the voters who have shifted to other places of dwelling or work from the published draft voter list. At the same time, they prefer to be physically absent from the place of receiving of claims and objections as regards to the deletion of such names. On the contrary, the claims and objections submitted by the ruling party activists are being strictly adhered to by some of the ECI personnel of West Bengal,” the letter read.
The MLA said that constituencies sharing a border with Bangladesh have witnessed a sudden spike in new voter registration which gives an “impression of illegal cross border infiltration” duly “supported” by the local “ruling party activists”.
“This if allowed will not only affect the security of the country but will also have a profound impact on the entire election process,” Dutta added.
The BJP leader further said that constituencies, where new townships are being developed, might see a surge in new voter registration.
“As an example, 115 Rajarnat Newtown Assembly Constituency has seen a surge in new voter registration due to new townships in the area. This sort of surge is acceptable but surges in new voter registration are not acceptable where there is neither any new township nor any mass exodus of people from other constituencies any new townships nor any mass exodus to that constituency,” he stated.
“Needless to mention that apart from infiltration from Bangladesh, since West Bengal shares a long porous border with neighbouring Bangladesh the question of Rohingyas illegally migrating from the other side of the border and mixing into the population of the densely populated State of West Bengal cannot be ruled out,” he added.