In a fresh flashpoint ahead of the second phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday accused a Trinamool Congress councillor of arranging “hundreds of artificial
fingers” to enable bogus voting in the high-profile Bhabanipur constituency. The ruling TMC has strongly denied the allegation, calling it baseless and impractical.
Speaking to reporters, Adhikari claimed that the councillor had procured over 700 artificial fingers to facilitate fraudulent voting in Bhabanipur, where he is contesting against Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.
“More than 700 such artificial fingers have been arranged. This is an attempt to manipulate the election. We will not allow such practices,” Adhikari asserted.
West Bengal Elections 2026 Voting Phase 2 Live Updates
The BJP leader further alleged irregularities in the distribution of booth slips, stating that 3,810 slips issued by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Bhabanipur had been returned undelivered.
“The list of such voters has been marked. The people of Bhabanipur are ready for change and will respond through their votes,” he said, adding that he had submitted a “sample” of his claim to the Election Commission.
The Trinamool Congress, however, dismissed the allegations outright. Party spokesperson Arup Chakraborty described the claims as “completely unfounded”.
“Is something like that possible in any democracy? Such things are neither possible nor practised. These are baseless allegations, and there is nothing to respond to,” Chakraborty said.
West Bengal Elections 2026: Phase 2 Polling Begins
West Bengal heads into the second phase of polling for its 294-member assembly on April 29. The polling commenced across 142 constituencies on Wednesday at 7 am. This is the final round and TMC’s strongest belt. In 2021, the ruling party had won 123 of these 142 seats, leaving just 18 for the BJP and one for the ISF.
The first phase was held on April 23, and counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
