‘₹18.5 cr from CESC ended up in TMC’s pocket’: Complaint filed against Sovandeb by worker

A worker has approached the Calcutta High Court with serious allegations against West Bengal Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay ahead of the upcoming cooperative bank elections under CESC. The elections for CESC’s cooperative banks are scheduled for April 17, after a hiatus of 14 years. The worker claims that the elections are being manipulated to benefit candidates backed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and also alleges that ₹18.5 crore, allocated by CESC for the development of cooperative societies, was diverted into TMC’s funds.

Since 2011, elections for CESC’s cooperative banks have not been held. In 2013, the state government dissolved the previous board and appointed a new one through nominations. This nominated board is still in power today. With the long-delayed elections set to take place, the petitioner has raised concerns regarding the lack of a draft voter list. According to the worker, despite multiple requests, the voter list has not been made public, creating uncertainty about the eligibility of voters.

The worker further claims that the nomination process for the elections was manipulated. He alleges that during the filing period from March 21 to 23, only candidates associated with the TMC were allowed to submit nominations. Others who attempted to file nominations were allegedly blocked or subjected to physical assault. The worker also highlighted that, despite these challenges, some individuals managed to submit their nominations in secret, but were reportedly met with violence.

In addition to the nomination-related allegations, the petitioner has directly accused Sovandeb Chattopadhyay of diverting ₹18.5 crore in CESC funds intended for cooperative development into the TMC’s coffers. The minister has denied these claims, calling them “false.” Chattopadhyay defended his party, stating that a union securing 98% of votes does not need to resort to violence or manipulation to win. The court is currently reviewing the petition, and the matter remains under legal scrutiny.