The Trinamool Congress has launched serious allegations against the Election Commission, claiming the poll body is exerting undue pressure on booth-level officers during the ongoing electoral process. The accusations come just 24 hours after the EC claimed it had asked the party to allow BLOs to work without interference.
TMC Leader Derek O'Brien's Strong Allegations
Speaking to reporters in Delhi on Saturday, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien stated that BLOs are facing immense pressure from the Election Commission itself. He highlighted several operational challenges affecting these officers, including internet connectivity issues in many areas and the necessity to work late into the night to upload data.
"BLOs return home late at night and then upload the data. Who is putting pressure on them? It is the EC," O'Brien asserted during the press conference. He emphasized that as a responsible political party, Trinamool is doing everything possible to alert the Election Commission against rushing through the electoral process.
Demand for Proper SIR Process
The TMC leader made it clear that his party wants a proper Summary Information Report process implemented correctly. "Trinamool wants a proper SIR. We want it done in the right way. The methodology is wrong. Don't rush this. Take the advice of Mamata Banerjee," O'Brien added, directly referencing the party's senior leader.
O'Brien revealed details from Friday's meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner, stating that despite the CEC speaking for 55 minutes, none of their five questions were adequately answered. He challenged the Election Commission to release the complete transcript of the meeting if they were unwilling to hold press conferences or address media allegations directly.
Emotional Appeal and Serious Accusations
Trinamool MP Pratima Mondal brought an emotional dimension to the allegations, describing what she called a disturbing reaction from the CEC during their meeting. "When Derek O'Brien told the CEC that he had blood on his hands, and Satabdi Roy submitted the list of people who have died due to the SIR process, we saw a hint of a smile on the CEC's face," Mondal claimed.
She stated that the party representatives immediately asked the CEC to wipe off that smile, emphasizing they had come to discuss serious matters concerning people's deaths. Mondal directly attributed responsibility for these deaths to the Election Commission and the Government of India.
The MP referenced the tragic case of BLO Rinku Devi, who died by suicide, drawing parallels with Ritwik Ghatak's iconic film 'Meghe Dhaka Tara'. "Just like Nita in the film, Rinku too wanted to live but was pushed to the brink," Mondal stated emotionally, holding the EC responsible for creating circumstances that led to such extreme steps.
The Trinamool Congress has positioned itself as the voice of concern for both electoral integrity and the welfare of ground-level election officials, setting the stage for continued confrontation with the Election Commission over procedural matters and implementation of electoral processes.
