BJP delegation meets EC over West Bengal row

The West Bengal government on Thursday provided officers of requisite seniority for being appointed as Returning Officers for the forthcoming Assembly Elections, on the insistence of the Election Commission of India.

Former IPS officer RN Ravi takes oath as the Governor of West Bengal at a ceremony in Lok Bhawan on Thursday in Kolkata. He was administered the oath by Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, Sujoy Paul, in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee, Senior Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim and Left Front chairman Biman Bose. RN Ravi also greets West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after taking the oath as the West Bengal Governor.

In his letter, Odisha CM wrote, 'The incident cast an avoidable shadow on the image of Bengal, a land known for its culture, civility and respect for democratic institutions."

West Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh on Thursday slammed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) over plans to move an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in the Parliament.

"The supply chain is not in our hands. It is in the hands of the Government of India. But even then, we have called the gas companies and CNG companies and held meetings with them, and requested them to do for the public what we should do. It takes time to resolve the problem; now we have to see how much they heed our words," the CM said.

"The Election Commission is a constitutional body. Conducting the SIR process is their right. What do these people want? Do they want to win by using the fake votes of Bangladeshis, Rohingyas, infiltrators, the deceased, and those with double entries? This cannot happen. The people of Bengal have the right to the resources of Bengal, not the infiltrators and Bangladeshis," he said.

Amid repeated allegations by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of improper deletions of voters from the West Bengal electoral rolls, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar on Wednesday said that the party should instead "contest in Pakistan or Bangladesh" If they don't trust any constitutional institution in the country.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) National General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee has criticised the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in West Bengal, alleging that several questions raised by the party regarding the deletion of voters' names remained unanswered.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that attempts were being made to divide the people of the state and questioned the recent change in the office of the Governor, asking why the Centre replaced the incumbent if "there was nothing fishy."

"After concluding our five-day dharna at Dharmatala, I took a moment to personally meet C. V. Ananda Bose, the Hon'ble Ex Governor of West Bengal, ahead of his departure tomorrow," Banerjee wrote.