Image Courtesy:newsable.asianetnews.com
Bharatiya Janata Party’s IT Cell Head Amit Malviya has been trying to amplify ‘news’ that West Bengal’s Metiabruz constituency has registered a more than 9% increase in voters last year. Malviya also reminded his followers that this constituency was once ‘referred to as mini-Pakistan by TMC minister Firhad Hakim’. Adding that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who the BJP has been referring to as Pishi, or paternal aunt, “has been silently overseeing demographic change” in the state “to serve her political interests.”
Metiabruz constituency, famously referred to as mini-Pakistan by TMC minister Firhad Hakim, registers over 9% increase in voters in last year alone!
Pishi has been silently overseeing demographic change of West Bengal just to serve her political interests.
Is the EC watching? pic.twitter.com/oOkaIxvK1h
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 21, 2020
He of course is alluding that there has been an increase in Muslim vote that he alleged has been somehow done by CM Mamata Banerjee and her party the Trinamool Congress (TMC). As always the hint often extends to the BJP’s ‘concerns’ with what it has termed ‘illegal Banglaedshi immigrants.’ Now the BJP is directly accusing the TMC of a ‘ demographic change’ ahead of the state’s Assembly elections. Soon enough BJP IT Cell Head Amit Malviya’s tweet featuring a Bangla newspaper clipping, was picked up and featured by the Right Wing blog OpIndia, which stated that according to the newspaper clip shared by Amit Malviya, “the ‘unusual’ rise in the number of voters has led to an increase in polling booths in the Metiabruz constituency (6) and Topsia area (8) of West Bengal. The stark increase in electorates in a span of just one year has led to renewed skepticism of the current political dispensation.”
It quoted CPIM leader Rabin Deb as saying: “The process of correcting the voter list has been the biggest conspiracy. They are not eliminating the names of those who have already died. The Communist Party wants that the Election Commission verify the death of such individuals directly, on receiving information about the same. If family members of the deceased fail to show proof, then, we need the truth of the case must be verified with the Municipality or panchayat.”
The BJP has also made another strong allegation stated the blog, “that instead of undertaking the verification themselves, the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have outsourced it to TMC workers and supporters”. According to the report “in the Muslim-dominated Metiabruz constituency, more than 19,500 voters have increased in one year, thereby representing a rise of 9%.” The RW blog added that “in the Lok Sabha elections, a total of 2,35, 105 people were eligible to vote in Metiabruz constituency. However, when the voter list was published, the number had gone up to 2,52,615. As per the report, the Metiabruz constituency includes ward No. 136-141 of the Kolkata municipality. It has been found that a total of 400, 450 and 900 voters on the list have expired in ward No.s 137, 138 and 141 respectively but their names feature in the voter list.”
Now the State unit of the BJP has written to the Election Commission of India (ECI), over the “sudden” increase in the number of voters. The blog, quoted from the letter itself: “From the draft electoral list that was made public on 18 November, it was noticed that there has been a sharp rise in the numbers of electors, especially in many parts that are very close to the Bangladesh border and those that are predominantly minority voters.” The BJP has also alleged that an “increase in electorates has been observed in Metiabruz constituency and Sonarpur Uttar in South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal,” adding that the list is not updated and names of “dead voters and those who have changed their dwelling place are not struck out from the voter’s list.” It alleged that “in the past elections, it has been seen these votes have also been cast.”
While it is not yet known if theElection commission has taken cognisance of the BJP’s complaint, the IT cell is busy sending out messages targeting Mamata Bangerjee and the state government, hoping to get noticed.
In August 2020 alone, West Bengal reported 223 cases of rape. Women’s safety is at its lowest ever in the last 9 years with Pishi as home minister. Be it human trafficking or acid attacks, criminals have had a free run.
All that Pishi has cared for is votes and votebank! Shame. pic.twitter.com/waqdFy5aBK
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 22, 2020
Related
Catch 22, the BJP CAA and Shah’s Chronology in Bengal ?
Tagore & BJP can’t go together: Students protest Amit Shah’s Visit to Visva-Bharati
BJP removes Narada sting operation from YouTube channel, faces storm of criticism