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Mamata Banerjee Reveals: BJP's Voter List Mystery in Bhabanipur Constituency

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has raised serious allegations about voter list manipulation in the Bhabanipur constituency. She claims that a particular political party (hinting at BJP) is attempting to enroll outsiders as voters before elections. The accusation comes amid ongoing political tensions between Trinamool Congress and BJP. Banerjee's statements highlight her concerns about electoral integrity and potential voter fraud.

Key Points: Mamata Banerjee Accuses BJP of Voter Manipulation in Bhabanipur

  • Mamata alleges strategic outsider voter enrollment before elections
  • BJP accused of manipulating voter lists in Bhabanipur
  • Chief Minister challenges voter registration irregularities
  • Bhabanipur constituency becomes focal point of electoral dispute
2 min read

Bengal CM accuses BJP of residing outsiders as voters in Bhabanipur

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee highlights alleged voter enrollment tactics by BJP in Bhabanipur, raising electoral integrity concerns.

"How can the same person have names in the voters' lists at two places? - Mamata Banerjee"

Kolkata, Oct 17

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Friday, indirectly accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to reside outsiders in her native Assembly constituency of Bhabanipur in Kolkata.

The issue of outsiders allegedly becoming voters in Bhabanipur was raised by the Chief Minister earlier this week while she was touring north Bengal to review the situation there, amid the devastation of the hills, Terai and Dooars regions there following the recent floods and landslide.

On Friday afternoon after inaugurating a community Kali Puja pandal in Kolkata, Chief Minister Banerjee also said that what she meant by her "outsiders in Bhabanipur" statement earlier this week.

"As outsiders I did not mean the people residing there. I meant a particular political party, which tries to bring outsiders before any election and try to get them enrolled as voters before any election," she added.

Although, she did not name any particular political party, her clear hint was towards the BJP, which is often termed as outsiders' party in West Bengal" by the Trinamool Congress leadership.

She also said that many outsiders come to the city before any elections.

"Some of them stay in guest houses and hotels. The richer ones purchase flats. But none of them are residents of that locality. How can the same person have names in the voters' lists at two places?" she added.

She also said that in many cases, the slums are dismantled for construction of high-rise buildings where outsiders are purchasing flats.

Incidentally, Bhabanipur is one of the seven Assembly constituencies under the Kolkata (Dakshin) Lok Sabha constituency.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, although the Trinamool Congress candidate Mala Roy got elected for the second time from Kolkata (Dakshin), she trailed in the majority of municipal corporation wards in both Bhabanipur and its adjacent Rashbehari constituency.

She even travelled from Ward Number 73 of Kolkata Municipal Corporation where the Chief Minister is herself a voter.

Recently, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in state Assembly and senior BJP leader, Suvendu Adhikari, had repeatedly claimed that Mamata Banerjee will be defeated from Bhabanipur in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls.

"I defeated her from Nandigram in 2021. Next year, she will be defeated from Bhabanipur. She will be defeated even in her own ward," LoP Adhikari claimed.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Both parties are playing politics with voters. TMC has also been accused of similar tactics in the past. Why can't we have clean elections in Bengal?
A
Aditya G
As a resident of Kolkata, I've seen how voter lists get manipulated before elections. This needs to stop! Every genuine voter's voice matters.
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Sarah B
While the concern about voter manipulation is valid, I wish politicians would focus more on actual governance issues like the flood relief mentioned in the article. People are suffering!
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Vikram M
Didi is right to raise this issue. In Bhabanipur area, we've seen many new "voters" appearing just before elections. Election Commission should conduct proper verification drives.
M
Michael C
The timing of these allegations seems political, especially with Adhikari's prediction about 2026 elections. Both sides are preparing for the next battle rather than solving current problems.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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