December 28,2025
Poll of Government Employees’ Cooperative Credit Society Limited
Kamal Kumar Biswas,TOD.Balurghat
The year-end election to seize control of the Dakshin Dinajpur District Government Employees’ Cooperative Credit Society Limited has triggered intense political and administrative controversy in Balurghat, with serious allegations of booth capture and rampant ballot stuffing surfacing against members of the ruling party-backed government employees’ organization, the State Federation.The election, held on Sunday at Avijatri School in Balurghat town, marked the first poll of the cooperative society since 2015. Around 150 government employees were eligible to vote in the election, which was contested by nine candidates each from the Left-backed State Coordination Committee and the ruling party-affiliated State Federation Committee.
According to Pradip Saha, an election agent representing the State Coordination Committee, the polling process remained peaceful until around 12:30 pm. He alleged that soon after, a group of outsiders forcibly entered the polling room, pushed him aside, and began freely stamping multiple ballots and stuffing them into the ballot box. He further claimed that several unused ballots were torn and discarded, while the perpetrators exited the polling station without resistance.Mr.Saha also raised serious questions about the role of law enforcement, alleging that despite police deployment at the polling station, officers remained mute spectators throughout the incident.
However, the allegations were categorically denied by Sanjib Dutta, District President of the State Federation of government employees. He asserted that the election was conducted in a free, fair, and peaceful manner, dismissing claims of any untoward incident as baseless.Mr.Dutta highlighted that no elections had been held in the cooperative since 2015, no audits were conducted after 2017, and members had been deprived of services for years. He stated that it was the State Federation that had repeatedly urged higher authorities to initiate the election process, leading to visible enthusiasm among employees to restore democratic functioning within the cooperative.
The sharply conflicting narratives have fueled political tension in Balurghat, casting a shadow over the credibility of the long-awaited election and prompting calls for closer scrutiny of the polling process.
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