KOLKATA: The West Bengal BJP on Monday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to extend the deadline for submission of Form 7 by at least a week, citing widespread obstruction and alleged violence during the process across several districts of the state.
Form 7 is used to raise objections to entries in the electoral rolls. Monday is the last day for its submission by electors whose names were missing in the draft rolls.
The saffron party also accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of pressurising poll officials in the state to derail the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
A delegation of the state BJP comprising leaders Tapas Roy, Pratap Bandyopadhyay and Sanjay Singha met West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (WBCEO) Manoj Agarwal on Monday evening and alleged serious irregularities in the submission of Form 7. They claimed that incidents of violence were reported during the process in several districts.
"Many poll panel officials are stonewalling the attempts at submission by leaving office or claiming administrative preoccupation, or worse, plainly refusing to accept the Form 7. It is accordingly requested that compliance with the Commission's instructions may please be ensured," Roy, a veteran leader of the saffron camp, alleged.
"In order to allow submission of Forms 7 the deadline for submission of forms for claims and objections may be extended by at least a week," said a letter submitted to the CEO’s office by the BJP leaders.
After coming out of the CEO’s office, Roy also alleged that Trinamool Congress workers were preventing BJP members from submitting Form 7 in different districts.
Violence was reported in Murshidabad, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly through the day. In Murshidabad, a group of Trinamool Congress workers allegedly snatched Form 7 from BJP members and set the forms on fire when the saffron party, led by its district president, went to the Lalbag sub divisional officer’s office. Police allegedly remained silent, BJP leaders said.
The Trinamool Congress has denied the charges.
In another incident, BJP MLA Ashok Kirtania from the Bongaon Uttar Assembly constituency in North 24 Parganas made similar allegations against the ruling party. He alleged that Trinamool workers looted Form 7 from BJP members at the Bongaon sub divisional officer’s office.
In Hooghly, the Trinamool Congress of the Chinsurah constituency, along with his supporters, allegedly looted Form 7 from BJP workers and cut them into pieces in front of police personnel and staff of the SDO office.
BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said the party would not allow elections if a single eligible voter’s name was left out following the SIR, and urged the ECI to ensure that every district electoral officer (DEO) functioned independently.
The BJP has so far sought the exclusion of 591 voters and the inclusion of one in the electoral rolls in the state from December 17, 2025, till Monday, according to the Election Commission.
The ruling Trinamool Congress has asked for the exclusion of 13 voters and the inclusion of 13 more. The Congress has not made any claims or objections regarding any voters, while the Bengal CPM has sought the inclusion of two voters.
Before the publication of the draft rolls, the central panel received 3,31,075 Form 6 applications for inclusion in the electoral rolls, while 56,867 Form 7 applications seeking deletion of voters were submitted, according to the Commission.