As the political battle intensifies in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress has accused the BJP of trying to influence the outcome of the upcoming elections by arranging special trains for voters.
In a letter to the Election Commission, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien said the BJP is “actively flouting election laws” by shifting voters from Surat, Gujarat, to Bengal as part of a tactic to tilt votes in its favour.
In his letter, the TMC MP attached links to posts on social media platform X regarding the special trains, as well as a story by Deccan Herald.
“The Indian Railways is under the administrative control of the Union Government and cannot be deployed, directly or indirectly, for partisan electoral purposes. The involvement of the BJP, in arranging such transportation at the expense of the public exchequer, raises serious concerns of misuse of official position and access to state-controlled resources,” the letter said.
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In post X by Sudhanidhi Bandyopadhyay, a train was seen leaving Surat with migrant workers from Bengal ahead of the polls.
“BJP special trains have now left from Surat to Bengal. A local unit in Gujarat is accompanying everyone to vote against TMC,” the post read.
According to the report, many of the workers, who were returning to Bengal to cast their votes, were “carefully selected by Surat Bengal associations,” and more trains are expected to be organized in the coming days. The train also transported workers from Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.
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In his letter to the EC, the Rajya Sabha MP further alleged that the BJP is resorting to bribery and undue influence and carrying out “corrupt practices”.
West Bengal will go to the polls in two-phase elections on April 23-29. The results, according to the Election Commission of India, will be announced on May 4.
The main contest in the eastern state is between the ruling Trinamool Congress party led by Prime Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Bharatiya Janata Party, which leads the opposition in the legislative council.
