Amid heated political controversy over allegations of alleged voter list manipulation in West Bengal. Trinamool Congress (TMC) Ahead of the Assembly elections, Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Aggarwal on Tuesday rejected claims that his office has any mechanism to make arbitrary changes to the voter list.The controversy centers on Form 6, an application used by first-time voters to enroll or by existing voters to transfer constituencies. The ruling TMC has accused the BJP of trying to flood the applications to add “outsiders” to the state’s voter base.Responding to these allegations, Aggarwal emphasized the procedural nature of the system, being quoted by PTI as saying, “I want to say that this is a government office, there is a receiving section, and one can submit as many documents as one wants.” “One lakh documents or one document can be submitted in a day by one person. As the head of the office, I am not aware of this. There is a rule,” he said.Clarifying further, he said submissions are handled at multiple levels and are not directly monitored by him unless escalated: “I don’t need to know who is submitting what. The documents are separated, and then, if necessary, they are sent to me. I learned that some Form 6s have been received by us.”Rejecting the allegations of manipulation through digital means, Aggarwal said, “There is no software in the CEO’s office through which names can be added or deleted. If there is an allegation against someone of being a fake voter, the concerned officers do the verification as per the prescribed procedure, and then the report is submitted to the Election Commission.”The political controversy intensified when Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar alleging that Form 6 applications were being filed by persons who have no legitimate connection to the state. He described the process as “illegal, unconstitutional and fundamentally undemocratic, reflective of malicious intent and bad motive.”Earlier, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee had claimed that around 30,000 Form 6 applications were submitted within a few hours, terming it a violation of Supreme Court norms.Tension spilled over into the streets when a group of booth level officers (BLOs), believed to be affiliated with the TMC, protested outside the CEO’s office alleging electoral malpractices. The situation turned into a clash between police and BJP workers. Authorities said they intervened to prevent further unrest. “We took action to maintain law and order as the situation was going out of control,” a senior officer said. “Minimum force was used to disperse the gathering.”The police have also imposed prohibitory measures in the area, Agarwal said, adding, “Section 163 has been imposed here by the Kolkata Police Commissioner. Therefore, if any disturbance occurs in this area, it is the responsibility of the police to handle the situation. They should be allowed to perform their duty. If they fail, the Commission will take action.”The protest followed the visit of opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari, who had approached the CEO’s office to lodge a complaint against Mamata Banerjee and accused her of instigating unrest.Meanwhile, TMC circulated a video on social media purportedly showing Form 6 applications being submitted in large numbers. “The design is clear,” the party claimed in its post. Bring the voters. Bihar And Uttar Pradesh. Change the demography of Bengal. Change the decision of Bengal. Erase the voice of Bengal before even a single vote is cast.”In response to these claims, Aggarwal said that the office’s CCTV footage would be reviewed to verify the allegations of mass renditions.The development comes in the backdrop of the recent administrative reshuffle by the Election Commission in the state, which also includes changes in Kolkata’s top police leadership following the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct.