On a day that witnessed conflicts over SIR hearings and submission of Form 7 between voters, party supporters and BLOs mostly at district administrative offices through the state, chaos erupted in East Burdwan as well when Trinamul Congress and BJP cadres engaged in a scuffle today at the Kalna Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s office complex in the presence of the police.
In Hooghly’s Chinsurah, a group of TMC supporters allegedly entered the SDO’s office when a BJP worker had gone to submit a bunch of Form 7s. They reported snatched the forms from him and scattered them all over in and outside the office. The BJP worker was forced to leave. He later alleged he had been assaulted by the TMC workers.
Form 7, issued by the Election Commission, is primarily for objecting to someone’s name being included in the electoral roll or for requesting the deletion of your own or someone else’s name from the electoral roll, often due to death, shifting residence, or duplication, and is used for maintaining accurate voter lists.
A large group of BJP supporters, comprising mainly of female cadres, first assembled in the SDM office compound in Kalna to submit Form 7, raising objections against mapping of several residents. They alleged that dozens of families had emigrated from Bangladesh and were offered berths in the draft voters’ list, which the TMC opposed. A good number of supporters rushed to the SDM’s office compound within minutes, shouting ‘Joy Bangla’ slogans.
Tension escalated in the administrative corridor when the women cadres started showing slippers at the TMC supporters. The police were called to the spot to restrain the warring sides. The BJP cadres intensified their protest when the police erected a barricade to prevent them from entering the SDM’s chamber. Jostling with police personnel ensued.
Smritikona Basu, BJP’s Katwa organising district president, alleged: “The police behaved as if they were the political slaves of the ruling party.” TMC’s district labour front leader in Kalna, Sandip Basu, said: “The BJP was trying to misguide the Commission and discard names of hundreds of valid voters of our party, which the locals protested.”
On Saturday, four BJP cadres were arrested while trying to submit Form 7 in Burdwan town. Differences over submission led to a confrontation with the police there as well.
Chinsurah’s Trinamul MLA Ashit Mazumdar and his supporters staged a protest over submission of Form 7 and the whimsical attitude of the Election Commission. The party workers entered the Chinsurah SDO’s office, overpowered a BJP worker who was trying to submit a bunch of Form 7s, snatched the papers from him and scattered it on the ground. Mr Mazumdar, however, denied his or his party workers’ involvement in the incident.
He, however, said voters were infuriated over the whimsical attitude of the Election Commission. They suspected foul play when the BJP worker tried to submit a number of Form 7s and snatched them from his hands. The police fortunately took control of the situation. Soon after the incident, BJP supporters sat in protest against the forceful interference of the ruling party workers. The Chinsurah SDO has assured the protesting BJP workers that steps against the offenders would be taken.
A protest was also held with sticks in front of the Serampore SDO’s office in protest against the exclusion of valid voters in the name of SIR.
Minister offers food to voters:
Minister Swapan Debnath today served food to the voters summoned by the Election Commission at the Srirampur BDO’s office in Purbasthali-1 this afternoon. Mr Debnath said: “Hundreds of men were forced to attend hearings and they were stranded for hours since morning without food and water. So, I arranged meals for them today.” Purbasthali Dakshin is the constituency from where he was elected in 2021.