The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday cancelled the nomination of former IPS officer Debashis Dhar, nominated by BJP for Birbhum Lok Sabha constituency against the three-time incumbent Trinamul Congress MP Satabdi Roy.

The reason: Mr Dhar could not submit ‘no dues’ certificate, to be issued by the state government to the ECI during filing of his nomination papers.

He has threatened to move the high court, requesting its intervention on the issue.

Interestingly, the saffron party on Thursday nominated one more candidate Devtanu Bhattacharya, Birbhum district leader, simultaneously with Mr Dhar in the same Birbhum constituency setting a political surprise to the rival political parties.

Mr Bhattacharya filed his nominations in the office of the district magistrate of Birbhum on Thursday afternoon. His nomination has been accepted by the DM, according to the BJP sources.

With the approval of the BJP leadership, he had filed nomination for the Birbhum constituency, one of the hot parliamentary seats in the state, Mr Bhattacharya told media on Thursday.

Mr Dhar had resigned from the service in March but he is yet to be relieved from the state government.

According to the national poll panel sources, Mr Dhar could not produce a ‘no dues’ clearance certificate, required for filing nomination papers of candidates.

Earlier, BJP fielded the controversial police officer Mr Dhar, who was SP when the incident of firing in Sitalkuchi took place, causing deaths of four persons, during 2021 Assembly election in Cooch Behar, in Birbhum LS seat.

Birbhum will go to polls on 13 May.

He had launched his campaigns in the Birbhum constituency soon after his party BJP gave him official clearance to fight the election.

While addressing a rally, seeking votes for her party candidate in Birbhum, the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee had said Mr Dhar, who was relieved of his duties as SP following an incident involving firing by central forces in Cooch Behar’s Sitalkuchi, is still undergoing departmental proceedings.

Miss Banerjee’s remarks prompted the BJP leadership to field Mr Bhattacharya on Thursday to foil any ‘gameplan’ of ruling party, a senior leader of the saffron camp said.