The Trinamool Congress criticized the Election Commission for selecting the husband of a BJP leader from Bihar as the police observer for four Assembly constituencies in Malda district. State Education Minister Bratya Basu and party MP Partha Bhowmik alleged that the police officer’s wife is associated with the BJP.
During a press conference, Basu and Bhowmik presented photos of the police officer with his wife and images showing her with prominent BJP leaders from Bihar. They questioned the impartiality of appointing a police officer, whose spouse is a BJP member, as a poll observer in constituencies bordering Bihar.
The Assembly constituencies affected by this appointment are Mothabari, Baishnabnagar, Manikchak, and Sujapur, all located near Bihar. Basu raised concerns about potential bias favoring the BJP in the upcoming West Bengal assembly polls due to such appointments. The Election Commission recently replaced 73 returning officers in West Bengal, prompting further scrutiny from the Trinamool leaders.
