Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], March 26: Ahead of the West Bengal polls, State Minister and All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) Bratya Basu accused the Election Commission (ECI) of sending observers with alleged political bias.
He highlighted the case of Ajay Katesaria, a general observer for Bangaon Dakshin, who had been accused of corruption under the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh but was later cleared by Mohan Yadav's administration.
Addressing a press conference Basu said,"Earlier, we said that Observers whose family has links to the BJP are being sent here. We exposed this earlier. Today we will expose some officers and Observers sent by ECI. I am showing the details of a general observer of Bangaon Dakshin, Ajay Katesaria. Under the Shivraj Singh Chouhan Government in Madhya Pradesh, he was accused of corruption. Mohan Yadav Government gave him a clean chit later."
Basu emphasized that these officials are not being sent for technical duties but have political affiliations that could potentially influence the election process in Bengal. "These are not technical postings. These types of officials arrived in Bengal, sent by ECI as Observers," he added.
On Wednesday, AITC has lodged a formal complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the appointment of Surajit Roy as the Returning Officer for the Bhabanipur Assembly Constituency, officials said.
The party has raised concerns that Roy, who has been appointed to oversee the election in the high-profile constituency, is reportedly close to West Bengal Leader of Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari and is allegedly working at his behest.
This development has further escalated tensions between the AITC and the BJP ahead of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections, scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes will be held on May 4.
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