The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, dismissed claims made by Trinamool Congress and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee regarding the inclusion of out-of-state voters in the state’s electoral roll. Agarwal clarified that Form-6 applications, used for voter list inclusion, are not accepted at the CEO’s office but at district electoral officers’ offices.
Agarwal’s response came after allegations surfaced that BJP agents had submitted fraudulent Form-6 applications at the CEO’s office to influence the voter list. The Chief Minister had written to the Chief Election Commissioner, raising concerns about this issue earlier in the day. Additionally, State Minister Sashi Panja criticized the CEO’s office over similar accusations.
The CEO refuted claims that a large number of Form-6 applications were unlawfully accepted to include voters from other states before the upcoming two-phase assembly polls in West Bengal. He clarified that Form-6 submissions are permissible throughout the year and defended the process of verifying new voters’ identities.
