Mamata Banerjee Accuses Election Commission of Acting as “BJP Agent” Over Electoral Roll Revision

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday mounted a sweeping and sharply worded attack on the Election Commission and the union government, accusing the poll body of functioning as an “agent of the BJP” and alleging that the country was being run in an authoritarian manner under the control of Amit Shah.

Addressing an open conference of Booth Level Assistants (BLAs) of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, Banerjee alleged that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in West Bengal was being conducted in a “callous, unplanned and autocratic” manner.

“I haven’t seen such a callous Election Commission in all my life. They are only doing limitless touting for the BJP,” Banerjee said.

She alleged that one official was arbitrarily deleting voters’ names based on lists supplied by the BJP, calling the Commission “shameless” and branding it a “BJP commission.”

The chief minister raised strong objections to the manner in which voters were being flagged, marked as absent or deleted during the revision exercise. Pointing to social realities, she said the Commission was ignoring demographic changes over time.

“A voter lived at a particular address in 2002. Today, that voter may not be there. People change wards, women move after marriage, some change their surnames, some don’t. Those who changed surnames are being deleted. On what basis? They are valid voters,” she said.

Claiming that SIR guidelines had been altered repeatedly, Banerjee said they had been changed as many as 24 times, creating confusion at the grassroots. She further pointed out the lack of a proper mechanism to trace voters using old electoral data.

“There was no system to search by EPIC number for so long. In many cases, the EPIC number from 2002 does not match the current EPIC number. Isn’t that a criminal offence?” she asked, terming the exercise “unplanned autocracy.”

Questioning why SIR was being carried out only in West Bengal, Banerjee alleged selective targeting of the state. She asked why similar exercises were not underway in Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram or Meghalaya, pointing out that Assam is an election-bound state.

She urged minorities and the Matua community not to be intimidated, alleging attempts to divide society. “Don’t be scared. Unite and fight this fundamentalist force,” she said.

The chief minister also flagged serious flaws in voter mapping, recalling that such exercises normally take two years but were now being rushed through in barely two months. Referring to past revisions, she said elections were held in 2001, SIR began thereafter and the final list was published in 2004, followed by delimitation

“Did the Commission think even once? Before abusing BLOs, did you train them?” she asked.

Expanding her attack beyond the Election Commission, Banerjee launched an unusually sharp, though indirect, assault on union home minister Amit Shah, accusing him of exercising authoritarian control over the country.

Without naming him, she said she had never seen such a “bad” home minister in her political life. “

He is controlling everything. Even the Prime Minister does not control things. I feel he is controlling the Prime Minister as well. He is controlling the entire country,” she remarked.

She warned that allowing “those who incite riots” to run the country would push the nation in a dangerous direction and accused the Centre of undermining democratic values.

Banerjee also alleged that the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi was being deliberately sidelined while selective religious symbolism was promoted. Referring to the removal of Gandhiji’s name in certain contexts, she questioned the ideological direction of the union government, striking an emotional note.

Banerjee further accused the Election Commission of bypassing federal norms by appointing central government employees as observers and micro-observers without informing the state government.

She pointed out that most Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Bengal are school teachers and that Madhyamik examinations were approaching.

“Teachers are already under pressure. On top of that, many central government officials have been appointed,” she said, directing officials to collect full details of the centrally appointed observers.

Alongside her criticism, Banerjee issued a detailed roadmap for BLAs for the second phase of the SIR.

She instructed them to conduct door-to-door verification of voters marked as deceased, transferred, absent or “unmapped,” assist genuine voters in filing Form 6 and Annexure 4, and ensure that no eligible voter was harassed during hearings.

She warned party leaders, councillors and block presidents that non-performance would not be tolerated.

Concluding her address, Banerjee asserted that peaceful meetings and rallies would be held across the state and that BLAs should not be disturbed. “You may file cases against me, do whatever you want. But I will speak for the people. If everyone stays silent out of fear, the country will collapse,” she said.