Kolkata, March 25 – The Trinamool Congress approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday, seeking the immediate removal of the newly appointed returning officer (RO) for the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in South Kolkata. This constituency is where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a Trinamool Congress candidate, is contesting against Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate.
On March 23, the ECI ordered the replacement of 74 ROs in West Bengal, which is going to a two-phase election next month. One of these 74 ROs was for Bhabanipur, and Surajit Roy was appointed as the new Returning Officer. The Trinamool Congress has now approached the ECI, raising objections against Roy's appointment.
"As everyone knows, Roy is a very close confidant of the LoP and essentially operates under his instructions. Therefore, we doubt the possibility of irregularities following his appointment as the RO of Bhabanipur, and hence we have approached the Commission to raise objections about his appointment," said a senior leader of the Trinamool Congress.
The state government and the ECI are already in a dispute following the ECI's decision to transfer, replace, and depute bureaucrats and police officers from West Bengal to other states. The simultaneous transfer of 72 ROs has only added to the tension.
The ruling party has alleged that these transfers, replacements, and deputations of bureaucrats and police officers were deliberately carried out by the Commission at the behest of the Union government and the BJP.
A crucial hearing on a public interest litigation challenging such a transfer will be held at a division bench of the Calcutta High Court later in the day.
This time, besides Bhabanipur, Suvendu Adhikari is also contesting from Nandigram in East Midnapore, where he served as a two-term legislator, first for the Trinamool Congress and then for the BJP.
The two-phase election in West Bengal will be held on April 23 and April 29. In the first phase, polling will take place for 152 Assembly constituencies, and on April 29, voting will be held for the remaining 142 seats.
