A Calcutta High Court judge disclosed his brother's BJP role while hearing Mamata Banerjee's challenge to the Bhabanipur election result and ordered the preservation of key election materials.
Justice Gaurang Kant made the disclosure on June 23 during a preliminary hearing of the petition filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He stated that his elder brother is a national spokesperson for the BJP and said he would proceed after full disclosure to address any potential concerns.
The court directed the Election Commission to preserve CCTV footage from the May 4 counting at Sakhawat Memorial School in Bhabanipur along with all EVMs and VVPAT machines used in the constituency. These items must remain untouched without court permission and EVMs will stay in the custody of the district election officer.
The petition alleges irregularities including unlawful deletion of voters and issues during counting that led to a swing from an 18 per cent lead for Banerjee to an 81 per cent lead for BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari who won by 15,105 votes. The court set timelines for affidavits and scheduled the next hearing after 12 weeks.
