A delegation of the Trinamool Congress met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi on Tuesday, alleging large-scale manipulation of electoral rolls during the ongoing voter re-verification exercise in West Bengal, months before the Assembly election.

The 10-member delegation was led by party leader Abhishek Banerjee and included Rajya Sabha chief whip Md Nadimul Haque, MPs Derek O’Brien, Kalyan Banerjee, Mamata Thakur, Saket Gokhale and Ritabrata Banerjee, along with senior leaders Pradip Mazumdar, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Manas Bhunia.

Allegations over voter re-verification

After submitting a detailed representation, Banerjee said the focus on electronic voting machines had diverted attention from what he described as the real threat to free and fair elections. According to him, irregularities were occurring at the level of electoral rolls rather than during polling.

The party alleged that the voter re-verification drive was being used to selectively delete, reclassify or flag voters through what it termed opaque, software-driven mechanisms. In its submission, Trinamool flagged the introduction of new and unexplained categories such as “suspicious voters” and “logical discrepancies”, claiming these classifications did not exist in earlier Special Intensive Revision exercises.

Demanding transparency, Banerjee said the election commission should make public the complete list of voters marked under “logical discrepancies”. He alleged that electoral rolls were being “weaponised” to influence election outcomes and said he conveyed this concern directly to the chief election commissioner during the meeting.

Claims of tense meeting

Describing the interaction as tense, Banerjee alleged that the delegation’s concerns were dismissed and that the chief election commissioner interrupted the discussion. He further accused the central government of undermining constitutional institutions and challenged the poll panel to make public the proceedings of the meeting, including CCTV footage.

Banerjee also sought to widen the issue beyond West Bengal, claiming that opposition parties in other states had failed to identify similar problems in time. He called for greater coordination among opposition parties to detect alleged irregularities in voter lists.

Election commission’s response

The election commission rejected the Trinamool’s allegations and issued a set of counter-directions following the meeting. It said the West Bengal government should immediately release the enhanced honorarium approved by the commission for Booth Level Officers.

The commission also informed the delegation that additional polling stations would be set up in high-rise buildings, gated communities and slum areas to improve voter access. It cautioned political parties to ensure that their ground-level representatives do not threaten or intimidate election officials, including Booth Level Officers, Electoral Registration Officers, Assistant EROs and observers.

Warning of strict action, the poll panel said any attempt to interfere with the election process or intimidate electoral staff would invite strong punitive measures, reiterating its commitment to maintaining the integrity of elections.

A 28-year-old married woman was allegedly gang-raped inside a moving van in Faridabad for more than two hours before being thrown onto the road in the early hours of Tuesday, police said.

The incident took place during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday when the woman was waiting for a vehicle to return home. A van stopped near her, and two men offered to drop her home. Instead, the vehicle was driven towards Gurgaon Road.

According to the complaint, the woman was confined inside the van for around two-and-a-half hours, during which the accused allegedly raped her repeatedly. She protested and pleaded for help, but the men allegedly threatened her and continued driving.

Around 3 am, the accused threw the woman out of the moving vehicle near Raja Chowk in SGM Nagar. She sustained severe facial injuries and was found bleeding on the road.

Despite her condition, the woman managed to call her sister several times. When the sister returned the call, she was informed about the incident. Family members rushed to the location and took the woman to a hospital, where doctors reportedly applied 10 to 12 stitches to her face. Her condition is stable, but she remains in shock, and her statement has not yet been recorded.

In her complaint, the victim’s sister said the woman had called her the previous evening around 8.30 pm, saying she had an argument with their mother and was going to a friend’s house. She had told her family she would return within three hours.

Police said the woman is married, has three children, and lives separately from her husband due to a domestic dispute.

Both accused have been arrested, and the van used in the crime has been recovered. Further investigation is underway.

Around 170 sheep have died under unexplained circumstances near the Rashtriya Prerna Sthal area in Lucknow, prompting the Uttar Pradesh government to order an official probe into the incident. Police have sent samples for post-mortem examination as authorities try to determine whether disease, poisoning or negligence led to the deaths.

The matter came to light after a complaint was submitted at Madiaon police station by Charu Khare, founder of an NGO, who stated that the sheep died suddenly in the area a few days after an event was held nearby. According to the application, the deaths occurred within a short span, raising concerns about possible external factors.

Khare said that, at this stage, it is not clear whether the animals died after consuming waste material or if they were deliberately poisoned by unknown persons. She demanded a thorough investigation and stressed that post-mortem examinations of the dead sheep were necessary to establish the exact cause.

Calling the incident serious and sensitive, she said the possibility of animal cruelty or administrative laxity could not be ruled out. She also assured that her organisation would extend all possible assistance to the authorities during the investigation and demanded strict action if poisoning or negligence is confirmed.

Police officials said samples have been sent for post-mortem and further action will depend on the medical reports. Taking cognisance of the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to conduct a probe into the matter. The state government also announced compensation of Rs 10,000 per sheep for the affected owners, according to an official statement.