TMC Leader Abhishek Banerjee Accuses Election Commission of Defying Supreme Court Directives
In a significant escalation of political tensions, Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India on Wednesday, accusing poll officials of openly flouting Supreme Court directives. Banerjee shared purported WhatsApp chat screenshots as evidence, alleging that officials were continuing to issue instructions through the messaging app during the Special Summary Revision (SIR) process in West Bengal.
Specific Allegations Against Poll Observer
The TMC leader specifically targeted South 24 Parganas and south Kolkata special roll observer C Murugan, claiming he was using WhatsApp to communicate with micro observers about the acceptability of birth certificates as SIR documents. "Is the EC of the view that directions of the hon'ble Supreme Court can be openly flouted?" Banerjee wrote in a social media post. "The highest court of the land has repeatedly emphasised transparency, due process and adherence to official channels of communication."
Banerjee emphasized that the Supreme Court had previously instructed, while hearing a TMC petition, that SIR guidelines must be issued through formal notifications rather than informal messaging platforms. He questioned why statutory procedures were being bypassed and under whose authority these actions were being taken.
Additional Claims of Credential Misuse
Beyond the WhatsApp allegations, Banerjee made further serious accusations regarding the misuse of login credentials. He claimed that roll observers designated for specific districts were having their credentials accessed from a central location in Kolkata. "Login data is being misused to generate queries and specifically target a certain community at the direction of EC's political masters in Delhi," he alleged.
The TMC leader suggested that an independent examination would reveal discrepancies between the actual location of roll observers and the tower locations or IP addresses from which their credentials were being accessed. He warned that the matter would be pursued before the Supreme Court, stating that "any person aligning themselves with or acting at the behest of zamindars of Delhi will face stringent and uncompromising legal action."
Political Context and TMC Delegation Action
These allegations emerged less than twenty-four hours after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the Election Commission as a "Tughlaqi commission" and accused it of acting under BJP influence to manipulate voter lists. The purported WhatsApp chats shared by Abhishek Banerjee showed Murugan instructing Electoral Registration Marketing Officers (ERMOs) that birth certificates issued by panchayat pradhans were unacceptable for SIR purposes.
Another message indicated that permanent resident or domicile certificates issued to non-Bengalis were only acceptable for military or paramilitary appointments, not for other SIR purposes. In response to these allegations, a five-member TMC delegation visited the office of the Chief Electoral Officer to lodge a formal protest.
The delegation, comprising Mahua Moitra, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Pratima Mondal, Partha Bhowmick, and Bratya Basu, raised multiple concerns about the SIR process. Basu stated after the meeting, "We raised the issues before the CEO who said he would look into the matter. We also pointed out that since the 14th, the portal had been closed. What about those who stood in queue on the 14th and are still submitting their documents hoping their documents would be uploaded?"
Election Commission Response and Continuing Controversy
Following the TMC's complaint, Election Commission officials confirmed that an explanation had been sought from observer C Murugan regarding the allegations. However, reports suggest the EC also questioned how internal messages of its officials became public. TMC MP Mahua Moitra responded to this by asking, "Why is the commission trying to defend an illegality in the first place? What they are doing is violation of SC mandate and we are only highlighting the violation."
Banerjee concluded his social media post with a strong statement about institutional integrity: "The Election Commission derives its legitimacy from public trust, not political patronage. We shall pursue this matter before the highest court of law." The controversy highlights ongoing tensions between West Bengal's ruling party and election authorities during the crucial voter list revision process.
