Bengal officials refusing to accept form meant for objecting to entries on voters' list: BJP

Kolkata, Jan 13 (PTI) The BJP on Tuesday alleged that officials in two districts of West Bengal refused to accept Form 7 meant for raising objections to entries on voters' list.

Election registration officers (EROs) and AEROS in Malda and Hooghly districts are thus “blocking a lawful democratic process,” the opposition party in the state asserted in a post on X.

The party accused the state administration of shielding illegal voters.

“Six residents of English Bazar (in Malda) approached the ERO (SDO) with 1,500 objections duly submitted on Form 7, strictly in accordance with Election Commission of India provisions. The ERO deflected responsibility, claiming he was not the competent authority and directing them to the AERO (BDO),” the BJP said.

The AERO, in turn, refused to accept the forms, citing a lack of “instructions” from the District Election Office, and sent the residents back, the party alleged.

This exposed “deliberate evasion and coordinated obstruction”, the BJP said adding that “citizens following the law were pushed into a bureaucratic maze.” The party claimed a similar situation unfolded in the Chuchura Assembly constituency in Hooghly district, where the ERO declined to accept Form 7 submissions made by a BJP delegation, again citing lack of instructions.

"The Election Commission of India's directions are clear and unambiguous. This deliberate stalling is aimed at blocking lawful objections," the BJP said.

Neither the district administrations nor the ruling Trinamool Congress responded to the allegations till the filing of the report. PTI BSM NN