‘Brazen Collusion between EC and BJP’: Why Congress slammed new appointments in Suvendu Adhikari's Bengal government
These appointments reflect the brazen collusion and connivance between the ECI and the BJP. There is no longer even an attempt to keep the collusion discrete or concealed, Congress said.
The Congress has slammed the appointments of erstwhile chief election officer Manoj Agarwal as the new West Bengal chief secretary by the newly-inducted Suvendu Adhikari-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state.
The opposition party has also flagged the appointed of Subrata Gupta as the chief advisor to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The Congress party claimied that the appointments reflected the "brazen collusion and connivance" between the Election Commission and the BJP and said that there is not even an attempt to keep the collusion discrete or concealed.
West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manoj Agarwal, was on 11 May appointed Chief Secretary of the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government in the state. The appointment came a week after the assembly election results were declared and two days after Adhikari took oath as the BJP's first Chief Minister of the state.
Quick answers to key questions
The Congress party has slammed the appointments of Manoj Agarwal as Chief Secretary and Subrata Gupta as Chief Advisor, alleging "brazen collusion and connivance" between the Election Commission and the BJP. They claim these appointments are not even an attempt to conceal this collusion.
Manoj Agarwal, a 1990-batch IAS officer, was the Chief Electoral Officer who oversaw the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. His appointment as Chief Secretary by the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government is controversial due to allegations of collusion with the BJP, particularly after the removal of approximately 90 lakh voters from the electoral rolls.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was an exercise to revise electoral rolls in West Bengal, during which around 90 lakh voters were removed. The BJP described it as an 'essential electoral roll clean-up drive,' while the Congress and TMC alleged it was an attempt to disenfranchise voters and create an electoral advantage for the BJP.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor suggested that the large-scale deletion of voters during the SIR, with many appeals pending adjudication, may have benefited the BJP. He noted that the BJP's victory margin was close to the number of pending voter appeals.
Subrata Gupta, a 1990-batch IAS officer who also oversaw the SIR deletions as the special roll observer, has been appointed as the chief advisor to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Agarwal, a 1990-batch IAS officer, responsible for overseeing the recent Assembly elections in the state. Agarwal, a West Bengal cadre officer, also helmed the EC-mandated Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bengal in the run-up to the Assembly polls, in which around 90 lakh voters were removed from the voter list.
Agarwal was moved to the West Bengal forest department before being brought back to a prominent role as the state’s CEO.
‘Brazen collusion and connivance’
Similarly, Subrata Gupta, also a 1990-batch IAS officer who oversaw the SIR deletions in Bengal as the special roll observer, has been appointed the chief advisor to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh pointed out in a post on X.
"These appointments reflect the brazen collusion and connivance between the ECI and the BJP. There is no longer even an attempt to keep the collusion discrete or concealed," Ramesh said.
Gupta was appointed advisor to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, hours after he was sworn in, while Shantanu Bala was named his private secretary. The appointments are a testimony that the ECI was not impartial and acted exclusively to benefit the BJP, he alleged.
"An entire state went to the election with 27 lakh people being debarred from voting. This was tactfully executed by the ECI to create an electoral advantage for the BJP," Ramesh said.
The BJP had described SIR as an “essential electoral roll clean-up drive”, while the TMC slammed it, alleging it was an attempt to "disenfranchise legitimate voters at the BJP's behest". The BJP defeated TMC in recently-held assembly polls coming to power in Bengal first time since Independence.
The West Bengal government on Sunday carried out a bureaucratic reshuffle, appointing two IAS officers and seven WBCS (executive) officers in the chief minister's office (CMO), according to official notifications.
SIR in Supreme Court
TMC Member of Parliament (MP) Kalyan Banerjee alleged before the Supreme Court on Monday, May 11, that in 31 West Bengal assembly constituencies, victory margins were less than the number of votes deleted.
The Supreme Court bench was hearing a batch of petitions, including the one filed by Mamata Banerjee, related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
According to legal news website Live Law, Kalyan Banerjee, who is also a senior advocate, said the winning margin in 31 assembly constituencies was less than the deletions due to SIR adjudication.
(With agency inputs)
- The Congress party is vocal against perceived electoral manipulation in West Bengal.
- Recent appointments of key officials have raised concerns regarding the integrity of the electoral process.
- The controversy highlights the ongoing political tensions and the challenges to fair elections in India.
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