Kolkata, April 20 -- The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in Delhi, questioning the basis on which "most sensitive" booths were identified, as no details or supporting materials were divulged by the poll body. The party also raised objections regarding the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) physical and virtual meetings with central observers.

In the letter, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien stated that an official communication issued by the CEO of West Bengal on April 18 directed that only the CRPF be deployed in certain "sensitive booths" during the upcoming assembly polls. The letter pointed out that while the communication stated these booths were identified based on intelligence inputs, no details or discernible criteria were disclosed to substantiate the classification.

The TMC further noted that the basis for declaring these booths sensitive remains unclear. "This lack of transparency raises serious concerns regarding the objectivity, fairness and credibility of the exercise," the letter reads.

In a separate letter to the CEC, the Trinamool Congress alleged that the CEO acted contrary to electoral framework guidelines. The TMC claimed that CEO Manoj Agarwal, along with Special Roll Observer Subrata Gupta, conducted multiple physical and virtual meetings with central observers, which the ruling party asserted was "beyond their prescribed jurisdiction".

"The interactions are being undertaken to create undue pressure upon the central observers, and attempts are being made to influence their functioning in a manner inconsistent with their independent mandate," the letter states.

The Trinamool Congress has already accused Agarwal and Gupta of "mounting pressure" on central observers to favour the BJP in the upcoming polls, exceeding their capacities as poll panel officials. The ruling party alleged that observers were instructed to take action against TMC leaders and seize control of districts, effectively hijacking the powers of District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police.

The party also drew the CEC's attention to the alleged duplication of names in the final electoral rolls at various polling stations under Dhrupdanga Vidyasagar F.P. School (Part 171) within the Asansol Uttar Assembly Constituency. The ruling party also submitted a list detailing these alleged duplications.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.