Suvendu flags 70,000 sudden voter applications in Bengal border districts, seeks CEC probe

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, has written to the Chief Election Commissioner expressing concern over a sudden spike in Form-6 applications—used for including names in the electoral roll—in districts bordering Bangladesh. In his letter, Adhikari highlighted that approximately 70,000 Form-6 applications were submitted in the past week alone, significantly higher than the usual 20,000 to 25,000.

The districts mentioned in his letter include Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Malda, Uttar Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas. These districts lie along the Indo-Bangladesh border. Adhikari pointed out that the unusual surge in applications has occurred just ahead of the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

He linked the increase in Form-6 submissions with reports of domicile certificates being issued by the state government. He urged the Election Commission to ensure that no domicile certificates issued after July 25, 2025, be accepted during the SIR process. Adhikari stated in the letter, “The sanctity of our democracy must be protected and cannot be compromised for vote-bank politics. District Election Officers must remember their primary responsibility is to conduct free and fair elections and their loyalty lies with the country.”

Adhikari also described the increase in Form-6 submissions as a matter requiring immediate attention, particularly in the context of upcoming electoral processes. He demanded that the Election Commission conduct a thorough verification of the recent applications submitted in the mentioned districts.

According to the schedule, the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls is expected to begin in West Bengal in the first week of August. The process has already been completed in Bihar. The revision includes verifying new applications, deletions, and corrections to the electoral roll ahead of upcoming elections.