Kolkata, 1 December (H.S.): At the inauguration of Sebashray 2 in Maheshtala under Diamond Harbour on Monday, TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee issued a direct challenge to the Election Commission amid allegations that the state government had withheld payments due to Booth Level Officers (BLOs). Both the BJP and the Election Commission had recently questioned the state over the delay, prompting Banerjee to put forward a counter-condition.

Responding sharply to the allegations, Banerjee claimed that the Centre had blocked West Bengal’s pending dues. He said the Election Commission should first write a letter to the Union government regarding the alleged withholding of funds. Banerjee declared that if the Commission took even this “small step,” the state government would increase the BLO payment from ₹12,000 to ₹60,000 for each officer.

According to him, on August 2, the Election Commission issued a notification doubling the BLO honorarium from ₹6,000 to ₹12,000, and made the state responsible for this expenditure. Banerjee further alleged that the Centre had withheld ₹2 lakh crore belonging to West Bengal and asked under which law this amount was being blocked.

Challenging the Commission, Banerjee said that if it simply sent a letter to the Ministry of Finance, the state government would transfer ₹60,000 to every BLO’s bank account within 24 hours—even if the Centre did not release the funds. He added that a truly impartial Election Commission would have already taken this step but claimed that those currently running the Commission would find it difficult to write anything against the Central government.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh