As voting for the West Bengal Assembly elections wrapped up, Leader of Opposition and BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari raised serious concerns about bogus voting and the use of “artificial fingers” in the Bhabanipur constituency.
Record turnout raises questions
Speaking to reporters after polling ended on Wednesday, 29th April Adhikari pointed to an unusually high voter turnout in Bhabanipur. He said more than 90% of voters cast their votes this time, calling it a record compared to earlier elections.
He compared it with past figures, saying turnout was around 82% in 2021 and about 78% in 2024, suggesting a sharp jump this time.
The second phase of polling, which included 142 out of 294 seats in West Bengal, saw participation from a large electorate of nearly 3.21 crore voters, including over 1.64 crore men, 1.57 crore women and 792 transgender voters.
‘Artificial fingers’ and bogus voting
A day before polling, Adhikari spoke about what he described as a planned effort to manipulate voting. He said a Trinamool Congress councillor had arranged more than 700 “artificial fingers” to help people cast fake votes.
According to him, such tools could be used to bypass voter identification systems. He also mentioned that he had submitted a sample related to this issue to the Election Commission.
He further said that 3,810 booth slips distributed by Booth Level Officers in Bhabanipur were returned undelivered, adding that these names had been marked.
Incidents at polling booths
On polling day, Adhikari said there were attempts to cast fake votes at certain booths. He described one instance in Ward 77 where a few men wearing burqas were seen voting.
He said party workers identified them on the spot, after which they ran away. He added that only a limited number of such fake votes around 10 to 12 could be cast this time.
The Bhabanipur contest is one of the most closely watched battles, with Adhikari facing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The main fight in the state remains between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress.
TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty dismissed these remarks, saying such practices are not possible in a democracy and calling the statements baseless.
Polling for the first phase took place on 23rd April, while the final phase concluded on Wednesday, 29th April at 6 PM. The results of the West Bengal Assembly elections will be announced on 4th May, which will decide the outcome of this high-stakes political contest.
