A major controversy has emerged over the election of the AIPNBOA (All India Punjab National Bank Officers’ Association) NJP Siliguri Circle Committee.
The AIPNBOA NJP Siliguri Circle Committee was elected in July 2022, and its term expired in July 2025. In December 2025, Mr. Tusar Kar was appointed as the Returning Officer to conduct the Circle Committee election. However, the election process was later cancelled. On 2 June 2026, Mr. Tusar Kar issued a fresh election notification to conduct elections for 11 posts through a secret ballot.
On 16 June 2026, he published the final list of validly nominated candidates and announced that elections for the posts of Circle President and Circle Secretary would be held on 5 July 2026. The remaining nine posts were filled unopposed. On 25 June 2026, Mr. Tusar Kar issued the final list of candidates after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations, as no candidate had withdrawn their nomination.
The election venue was fixed at the 1st Floor, Emerald Hall, Siliguri Tea Traders’ Association Building, Burdwan Road, adjacent to the PNB Burdwan Road Branch, Siliguri. The General Secretary of AIPNBOA, Shri Dilip Saha, appointed Mr. Sanjoy Das, All India Organising Secretary, Kolkata, as the Central Observer for the NJP Circle election to ensure that the election was conducted in a free and fair manner.
The contesting candidates said they jointly requested Returning Officer Mr. Tusar Kar several times to arrange videography of the polling process to ensure transparency and fairness. However, according to their complaint, their requests were not accepted.
The candidates also alleged that Mr. Tusar Kar initially told them that the candidates themselves would perform the role of polling agents, but later denied this. They further alleged that despite their repeated requests, videography of the entire polling process was not arranged.
The candidates alleged that when polling began on 5 July 2026, they found that every ballot paper and its corresponding counterfoil carried the same serial number. According to the candidates, this made it possible to identify and track individual voters. They alleged that this compromised the secrecy of the ballot and created fear among voters. They further claimed that this situation ultimately benefited the ruling group.
According to the complaint, every voter was given a ballot paper, while the corresponding counterfoil carrying the same serial number was retained by the polling party.
The candidates have now demanded that an FIR be registered against the Returning Officer for alleged deception, criminal breach of trust and violation of the secrecy of the ballot. They have also requested that the police immediately seize and preserve all election-related materials, including polled and unused ballot papers, the voter list, marked voter register, counterfoils and other records used during the AIPNBOA NJP Siliguri Circle Committee Election 2026–2029. They said this was necessary for a fair investigation and to prevent any possible tampering with the evidence.
The candidates have also demanded the immediate cancellation of the AIPNBOA NJP Siliguri Circle Committee Election 2026–2029. They have sought appropriate legal action against Mr. Tusar Kar and demanded that he should not be appointed as a Returning Officer in future.
They have further demanded that Mr. Sanjoy Das be removed from the post of All India Organising Secretary and should not be appointed as a Central Observer in future. Finally, the candidates have demanded that a fresh, free and fair election be conducted for the AIPNBOA NJP Siliguri Circle Committee.
The AIPNBOA should take these allegations seriously and conduct a fair and impartial investigation into the entire election process. The Association should examine the allegations related to the secrecy of ballot papers, use of identical serial numbers on ballot papers and counterfoils, recording of voter details, absence of videography, and the conduct of the Returning Officer and Central Observer. All concerned parties should be given an opportunity to present their side. If any irregularity or violation of the Association’s Constitution is found during the investigation, AIPNBOA should take appropriate action and ensure that the interests of its members and the transparency of the election process are protected.
