West Bengal: TMC’s threats against CAA, allegations of irregularities in SIR, demand for security

New Delhi, October 19 (IANS). Swapan Mandal, booth level officer (BLA) and general secretary of Votekormi Oikyo Manch, expressed serious concern over the alleged intimidation and election irregularities. On Sunday, he said CAAs in many areas of West Bengal were working under constant threat from Trinamool Congress supporters. In an exclusive interview to IANS, Mandal said that the State Intensive Review (SIR) process will start soon and most of the ground work, including voter mapping, has already been completed by the CAAs. However, he alleged that during the field visit, several CAAs were threatened and also approached for bribes by persons associated with Trinamool Congress (TMC), who exercised them to include the names of illegal voters in the revised electoral roll. He said, “We have conveyed all these concerns to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and Additional Chief Executive of West Bengal. We have clearly demanded security including deployment of paramilitary forces so that the CAAs can do their work without any fear.” On the victory of Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee from Diamond Harbor in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Mandal claimed that the victory is not a symbol of a fair mandate. He alleged that voters were prevented from reaching polling stations on polling day and those who tried to vote were stopped. “CLAs have no role in the voting, but polling staff were silenced and voters were terrorized. The margin of victory was created because the opposition was not allowed to vote in West Bengal,” he said. He also named a person named Jahangir and accused him of playing a key role in exerting pressure on voters. Mandal said despite handing over a list of around 20-25 alleged ‘anti-national elements’ to the election authorities, no arrests have been made. He claimed that the paramilitary forces also remained mute spectators. Mandal said the then Chief Electoral Officer, Ariz Aftab, was repeatedly informed about the situation, but he did not take any action. He further said, “Democracy has been rendered meaningless. We now expect the Election Commission of India to ensure a truly free environment for democracy to prevail.” –IANS SCH