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Ex-Bureaucrat Rajiva Sinha Exposes Panchayat Poll Rigging: 'Orders from Kolkata to Police Stations!'
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News18•23-09-2026, 13:42
Ex-Bureaucrat Rajiva Sinha Exposes Panchayat Poll Rigging: 'Orders from Kolkata to Police Stations!'
- •Former bureaucrat Rajiva Sinha, who held key positions under Mamata Banerjee and was State Election Commissioner during the 2023 Panchayat elections, made explosive claims about poll rigging during the Trinamool era.
- •Sinha admitted that the 2023 Panchayat elections were rigged, with irregularities rampant from polling to counting.
- •He alleged that orders bypassed DMs and SPs, going directly from Kolkata to police stations in various districts.
- •Sinha claimed that even top administrative officials were helpless and their hands were tied under the Trinamool government.
- •Despite hearing over 200 cases on High Court orders, he was unable to act due to 'clean chits' from SPs/DMs and unavailable CCTV footage, highlighting systemic helplessness.
Key Questions Answered
Rajiva Sinha served as the State Election Commissioner during the 2023 Panchayat elections under Mamata Banerjee's government.
He admitted that widespread rigging occurred during the voting and counting processes, and claimed that orders were sent directly from Kolkata to local police stations while bypassing DMs and SPs.
When districts claimed CCTV footage was unavailable, he instructed them to file an FIR stating that the camera had been lost.
