Guwahati (Assam) [India], April 2 : Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday dismissed the allegations levelled by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) of Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) influence on the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing them of "misleading" the people.
He said that the BJP believes in "impartial, independent and fair democracy".
"All these allegations are wrong. It is an attempt to mislead the people. BJP believes in an impartial, independent and fair democracy," Gadkari told ANI.
His remarks come after TMC in West Bengal, and DMK in Tamil Nadu accused the BJP of "deleting the votes of the marginalised community" through Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
Speaking about the BJP's strategy for the upcoming elections, Gadkari said that his party aims to win the election based on its development work and the trust of the people.
"We want to fight and win elections based on the positive work we have done. We have changed the future of our country. We have provided employment. We built roads, airports, and railways. We are protecting our farmers. This is our strength. We don't need to spread negativity for someone else. People believe in our work because of our work," he said.
Earlier, TMC supporters launched an indefinite protest near the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office in Kolkata, alleging large-scale irregularities in the submission of Form 6 applications and demanding strict action against those involved."
The controversy stems from an incident in which Booth Level Officers (BLOs) claimed to have intercepted a BJP worker attempting to enter the CEO's office with over 400 Form 6 applications. As Form 6 is used for the inclusion of names in the electoral rolls, the sheer volume of applications raised significant suspicions among TMC supporters.
Following the claim, TMC workers gathered outside the office in protest on Tuesday while BJP supporters also reached the spot, leading to a heated exchange that soon spiralled into violence.
Following the incident, authorities imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to prevent further clashes between BJP and TMC workers outside the Election Commission office in Kolkata, a police officer said.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of conspiring to get the upcoming polls cancelled and impose President's rule in the state.
"Administration is not under my control right now. Law and order (situation) is being controlled by the ECI. They work as per the instructions of Home Minister Amit Shah. The Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, DG, SPs, DMs, ADMs, BDOs, ICs and several other state officials have been changed," she said.
Assembly elections are being held in five states and a Union Territory: Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
Voting will begin on April 9 in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry, while Tamil Nadu will go to the polls on April 23, and West Bengal will hold elections in two phases on April 23 and 29.
The results for all regions are scheduled to be declared on May 4.
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