Overview
- The BJP, which released its political “chargesheet” in Kolkata on Saturday, cast the April assembly race as a choice between “fear” and “trust” and tied a nationwide voter-roll audit called Special Intensive Revision to removing “infiltrators.”
- TMC leaders answered within hours with a counter document and statements accusing Amit Shah and the BJP of insulting Bengalis and trying to polarise voters.
- Mamata Banerjee said her powers as chief minister had been stripped during the poll period and blamed the BJP for violence in Raghunathganj, claims the BJP disputes.
- Election officials said they will step up monitoring, with full webcasting inside and outside more than 80,000 polling booths and judicial officers already deployed for the voter-roll checks.
- West Bengal votes in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with results on May 4, putting arguments over infiltration, SIR and alleged intimidation of officials before voters within weeks.