The TMC has demanded that the poll panel remove Surajit Roy as the Bhabanipur Assembly Constituency's returning officer, alleging he has close links with BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who is locked in an intense fight with incumbent MLA and CM Mamata Banerjee in the seat.
West Bengal Assembly elections: ECI approves transfer of returning officers
In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner and West Bengal's chief electoral officer on March 24, the TMC's National Working Committee member Derek O'Brien claimed that Mr. Roy, a WBCS officer of the 2011 batch, was previously posted as block development officer of Nandigram-II Block and is "widely known" to be closely associated with Mr. Adhikari.
"There exist credible apprehensions regarding the independence and ability of Surajit Roy in discharging his duties as returning officer," Mr. O'Brien wrote.
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