Presiding Officer Testifies to Election Rigging by Trinamul Congress in Murshidabad

Sumit Panda testified before the Calcutta High Court on Friday that members of the ruling Trinamul Congress had rigged the polls for three hours at the booth under his supervision. Sumit Panda was appointed presiding officer for conducting panchayat elections at Kashipur gram panchayat under Beledanga Block-II in Murshidabad on July 8.

Panda, a worker at a central school, confessed in an affidavit he presented to the court on Friday. Panda said in his declaration submitted to Justice Amrita Sinha of the Calcutta High Court, "I was so terrified that I could not protest."

Panda has also said that the manipulation took place on election day for three hours starting at midday.

Following a plea by CPM candidate Nasima Bibi, who ran for but was unsuccessful in the election for the Kashipur gram panchayat seat, the court had requested the affidavit from the presiding officer.

After voting began in the morning, according to Nasima's affidavit, her operatives were forcibly ejected from the polling place.

Nasima's declaration claimed that the election was rigged later in the day when the thugs of the governing party prevented legitimate voters from exercising their right to vote.

The presiding officer was just a bystander to the wrongdoing, according to Nasima.

In response to Nasima's accusations, Panda claimed in his affidavit that the thugs had stolen his phone and forced him to swear that the election had been peaceful.

"What was your police doing?" Justice Sinha questioned the State Election Commission's attorney after the two affidavits had been submitted.

The court said, "It is obvious from the presiding officers' affidavit that fair voting was not conducted at Kashipur gram panchayat." The court requested that the SEC submit an affidavit by September 8 outlining the reasons why re-voting should not be mandated for this specific seat.