Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has made explosive allegations against the Election Commission, asserting that the real mechanism behind alleged electoral fraud lies in the manipulation of voter lists, not Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The Diamond Harbour MP led a 10-member TMC delegation to meet the EC's full bench in Delhi on Wednesday, following which he addressed the media at Nirvachan Sadan.
The Core Allegation: Government Choosing Voters
Banerjee presented a stark reversal of democratic principles. "Earlier, voters chose their government, now the government is choosing its voters," he stated. He claimed that while other opposition parties like the Congress, NCP (SP), AAP, and RJD failed to detect this "trickery," the TMC had. He argued that if these parties had understood the method, the BJP would have lost all state assembly elections held since the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Directly challenging the EC's narrative, Banerjee debunked claims that the Special Summary Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls led to higher voter participation in Bihar. "If you knock out voters from the electoral roll, voting percentages are bound to increase. It is not rocket science," he remarked, suggesting that inflated turnout figures were a direct result of purging legitimate voters from the lists.
Confrontation with the Chief Election Commissioner
The TMC leader did not mince words during his interaction with the Election Commission. He accused Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar of "weaponising electoral rolls." Banerjee described a tense moment, saying, "At one point, a finger was raised at me. I told him clearly... I am elected by the people and we are answerable to the people. Unlike him, we do not have to play ball with his masters."
He further questioned the CEC's impartiality by highlighting a past bureaucratic connection. "It is public knowledge that he (Kumar) was the former cooperation secretary. Who was the cooperation minister then? Amit Shah," Banerjee said, implying a link that could compromise the EC's neutrality.
The Mystery of 1.3 Crore "Logical Discrepancies" in Bengal
Banerjee dedicated a significant portion of his address to the SIR process in West Bengal. He alleged that the EC, overnight, generated a list containing 1.3 crore voters with "logical discrepancies." He provided context, noting that the draft electoral roll published on December 16 had shown only 58 lakh proposed voter deletions in Bengal, a number significantly lower than states like Gujarat.
According to the TMC leader, this lower deletion figure threatened to undermine BJP's frequent claims about 1 to 1.5 crore Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrants allegedly being on Bengal's voter list. "So immediately, within hours with the help of a magic wand and an unknown algorithm, EC comes out with this list of 1.3 crore logical discrepancies," he charged. He expressed grave concern that this non-public list could be used to arbitrarily axe voters from the rolls, a practice he said did not exist in previous SIR cycles.
Other Key Points of Contention
Banerjee also raised several procedural issues:
- Exclusion of Booth Level Agents (BLAs): He criticized the EC for barring BLAs from SIR hearings. He argued that since BLAs are authorized by the EC to work with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during enumeration, they should be allowed in hearings. He challenged the EC to issue an official circular for the ban, claiming the commission avoids doing so fearing legal action.
- Lack of Relief for Elderly Voters: The MP questioned why physically unwell voters above 60 years were being forced to attend hearing centres. He pointed out that all central and state notifications classify those over 60 as elderly, entitled to relief, and urged the EC to reach out to them instead.
Banerjee concluded with a warning, stating that merely crying foul over "vote chori" (vote theft) is ineffective. "A thief will steal unless stopped," he said, emphasizing the need for proactive resistance against what he perceives as systemic manipulation of the electoral roll process.
