Diamond Harbour

A Returning Officer for Election Commission of India has filed a police complaint against Trinamool Congress general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee. The complaint is about misleading information he shared on social media regarding the Rejinagar Assembly bypoll results.

During counting on Friday, Abhishek posted that BJP candidate Sakharav Sarkar got 909 votes at Booth No. 109 in Rejinagar. That booth only had 772 registered voters, so the numbers did not add up. The district electoral officer and district magistrate quickly rejected the claim. As per the electoral roll, the booth had 1,109 registered electors and 972 votes were actually polled.

On Saturday, the Returning Officer filed a police complaint at Rejinagar Police Station. It is still not clear whether Abhishek Banerjee will be called in for questioning.

Abhishek and Mamata Banerjee are currently in New Delhi. They are taking part in a movement demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Bypoll Details

The Rejinagar and Nandigram Assembly bypolls took place in East Midnapore district of West Bengal on October 6. Results were declared on October 9. BJP candidates won both seats with big margins, taking the party's total to 209 in the 294-seat West Bengal Assembly.

Abhishek Banerjee, MP from TMC, has raised serious questions about timing. He is pointing to former Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar's move to HDFC Bank.

His point is straightforward. The 2024 Lok Sabha election was held under Kumar's watch as CEC. Now he serves as chairman of HDFC Bank.

"If this is true, the chronology deserves attention," Banerjee said in a post on X. He added that any evidence of criminal wrongdoing should be investigated and prosecuted. Letting the law take its course was his message. He also took a swipe at BJP's "double engine government" pitch. His question was direct: what is the point if both engines stay silent when accountability is needed?

Banerjee's remarks came during the Opposition's protest against Election Commission in Delhi. Opposition parties have been stepping up attacks on the poll body. They point to alleged irregularities in electoral rolls. The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise to revise voter lists is also under fire.

BJP Fires Back

BJP's West Bengal unit hit back sharply. It shared a photograph from Banerjee's Diamond Harbour constituency from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The claim was clear: the BJP button on an EVM was covered with tape during polling.

A growing political confrontation is playing out between BJP and Opposition parties. The fight is over the integrity of electoral rolls and how Election Commission operates. Leaders like Rahul Gandhi have intensified protests in the national capital. They want greater accountability. BJP has rejected these allegations and says rivals are trying to undermine the electoral process.

TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee wants Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar removed from office. He is also asking for a court-led investigation into how Election Commission works.

This follows reports that election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised objections 14 times during the past 10 months. They flagged concerns about voter list changes made without their input.

Concerns about electoral integrity

Banerjee says that removing voters to help a political party harms democracy. He wants Supreme Court to step in and hold Election Commission responsible for its decisions. Citizens wanting to check their registration status in places like Diamond Harbour need a clear and honest electoral process.

Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee is taking legal action against party legislator Madan Mitra. A formal notice went out on Tuesday. It follows claims that Mitra made false and damaging statements on social media. The Diamond Harbour MP is asking for 10 crore rupees for damage to his reputation.

Details of the legal notice

This money is for a trust. It helps victims of political violence and supports work on defection issues in the party. Mitra has 72 hours to respond. He also needs to share a public apology in both writing and video. The legal papers were sent by email and speed post. These documents use details from his official Election Commission affidavit.

Calcutta High Court ordered an immediate stop to all demolition work at the Amtala office linked to Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee. This comes after the South 24 Parganas district administration started a drive to clear encroachments.

## Court order details

The administration stated the action was required after the Diamond Harbour MP did not reply to several notices sent in June and July about construction documents. Abhishek Banerjee disagreed with the move, calling it theft and a breach of legal rules. He claimed that police and others took personal items and papers during the process. The court is now reviewing the situation.

Approximately 4,000 electronic voting machines (EVMs) used in recent Assembly elections were destroyed in a major fire at a government building in Alipore. The blaze affected ballot units, control units, and VVPAT machines from several constituencies, including Kasba, Jadavpur, and Diamond Harbour.

State authorities are currently investigating the cause of the fire to determine if it was an accident or an act of sabotage. A forensic team has visited the site, and a formal report is being prepared for submission to the Election Commission of India.

Political leaders have raised concerns regarding the incident, calling for a thorough and transparent probe into the circumstances surrounding the destruction of these machines.