Kolkata, March 25 The TMC has demanded that the election panel remove Surajit Roy as the returning officer for the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, alleging he has close links with BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who is locked in an intense fight with incumbent MLA and CM Mamata Banerjee in the constituency.
In a letter to the chief election commissioner and West Bengal's chief electoral officer on March 24, TMC's National Working Committee member Derek O'Brien claimed that Roy, a WBCS officer of the 2011 batch, was previously posted as block development officer of Nandigram-II Block and is "widely known" to be closely associated with Adhikari.
"There are credible concerns regarding the independence and ability of Surajit Roy in discharging his duties as returning officer," O'Brien wrote.
He claimed that Adhikari's candidature from Bhawanipur gives rise to "a reasonable likelihood of bias and lack of neutrality."
The TMC also questioned Roy's current designation as Additional Director of Land Records, saying it does not align with his seniority and that the position has conventionally been held by officers at the joint secretary level.
The party urged the Election Commission to immediately set aside Roy's appointment, remove him from all election-related duties and appoint "an independent, neutral and senior officer with no perceived political affiliation" as the returning officer for Bhabanipur.
