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West Bengal police strongly refuted allegations made by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari that police personnel's postal ballots were being collected through a so-called welfare organisation, asserting that the process of voting for police personnel on election duty follows strict Election Commission procedures and leaves no scope for manipulation.
In a post on X responding to Adhikari's claims, the police clarified that postal ballots cannot be collected by reserve officers and are issued only through authorised election officials at designated centres. "The allegation raised is strongly refuted. There is no scope for the collection of Postal Ballots (PB) from police personnel by Reserve Officers. PBs are issued only by the Presiding Officer at the Postal Voting Centre (PVC)," West Bengal Police said. The police further explained that after casting their vote, personnel seal their postal ballot in the prescribed envelope and drop it in a designated drop box at the Postal Voting Centre, with the entire process being videographed. https://x.com/WBPolice/status/2031325649043075554 According to the clarification, police personnel deployed outside their constituency on election duty vote through the Postal Ballot facility available to Absentee Voters in Essential Services (AVES). They must apply through Form 12D, which is forwarded by the Police Nodal Officer to the concerned Returning Officer or Assistant Returning Officer for verification. "Approved voters receive SMS intimation regarding the venue, date and time of voting at the PVC. Details of the arrangements are also published on the official website of the District Election Officer," the police said. They added that Postal Voting Centres are set up at the Returning Officer headquarters, where eligible police personnel report for voting. After proper identification in the presence of polling agents from political parties, the voters cast their ballots to ensure transparency in the electoral process. "There is no possibility of Postal Ballots being taken out of the PVC or being collected by Reserve Officers of Police," the statement added. The clarification comes after Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the Trinamool Congress government was attempting to manipulate the electoral process by instructing police officers to collect postal ballots through a police welfare organisation. Adhikari had urged the Election Commission to intervene, calling the alleged move a "direct assault on free and fair elections" and demanding action against officials involved in handling postal ballots outside authorised channels. (ANI)
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