BJP demands central forces for Kaliganj bypoll, slams state police
The Statesman | 14 June 2025
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday, urged the West Bengal State Election Commission to bar deployment of state police during the upcoming Kaliganj Assembly bypoll scheduled for 19 June, alleging political bias and voter intimidation by the forces.
Senior BJP leaders, including state secretary Jagannath Chatterjee and spokesperson Shishir Bajoria, submitted a memorandum to the poll panel, calling for exclusive deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in and around polling booths. “We have come across a communication from the West Bengal Police outlining an induction plan of the state force for this election,” Chatterjee said, referring to a police document dated 11 June. “We strongly object to their deployment. The state police have failed to maintain neutrality in past elections, and their presence raises legitimate concerns about voter intimidation and manipulation of the electoral process.” To ensure a free and fair election, the BJP urged that CAPF take full charge of polling day security, operating under the direct supervision of the Election Commission of India.
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The party said state police, if necessary, may be assigned only peripheral law and order duties away from polling stations. Meanwhile, tensions escalated further as West Bengal BJP president and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar launched a scathing personal attack on the state police following an alleged incident of political violence in Maheshtala. In a provocative post on social media platform, X, Majumdar shared a photo of a pair of slippers, claiming to have presented them as a symbolic “gift” to the police. “Today at Kalighat, in front of the residence of the failed chief minister and home minister of the state, I presented a truly fitting gift to her sycophantic, spineless, cowardly police force — a pair of chappals,” Majumdar wrote.
He accused the police of abandoning their constitutional duties and aligning with the ruling Trinamul Congress. “Even if the existence of Bengal’s Hindus is wiped out, it matters little — Mamata’s chappal-loving police are too busy licking the feet of the ‘Hirak Rani’,” he said, invoking a phrase that echoes a popular satirical reference.
The remarks have drawn sharp reactions from Trinamul Congress leaders, who have accused the BJP of inciting hatred and disrespecting state institutions. The Kaliganj bypoll is being closely watched as a bellwether ahead of the 2026 state elections. The Election Commission has yet to respond to the BJP’s memorandum.