West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a fierce attack on the Election Commission of India and the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday, accusing them of conspiring to delete the names of a staggering 1.5 crore voters from the state's electoral rolls. She alleged the poll body is being directed by the BJP to carry out this purge during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Allegations of Collusion and Unplanned Revision
Addressing over 14,000 Trinamool Congress booth-level agents at Kolkata's Netaji Indoor Stadium, Banerjee claimed the Election Commission, which she said is being led by "Vanish Kumar babus," is conniving with "BJP khokababus." She stated this is being done to execute the BJP's claim that the SIR would remove 1.5 crore "bogus" voters from Bengal's list.
The Chief Minister pointed to the draft SIR list published on December 16, which shows 58.2 lakh fewer names compared to the 2025 voters' list, as preliminary evidence of this large-scale deletion. She asserted that the EC has changed the SIR rules "22-24" times, indicating confusion and a lack of proper planning.
Sharp Attack on Amit Shah and EC's Autonomy
Banerjee directed her most severe criticism at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging he is the one controlling the country and the Election Commission's actions, not the Prime Minister. "He (Shah) controls the country. He is controlling everything... He is morally corrupt and dictatorial," she said.
She went further, alleging, "The voters' list is being changed according to instructions from the BJP office. I have heard there is a BJP agent in EC's office. The entire list is being made by BJP workers." She called the Chief Election Commissioner "shameless" for carrying out, what she claimed, were orders from the Home Minister.
Impact on Women and Mapping Errors
The CM accused the EC of specifically targeting genuine women voters for deletion. She explained that after marriage, women often shift to their in-laws' house and sometimes change their surnames. "The names of those who have changed their surnames after marriage are being deleted. Why? They are genuine voters," Banerjee questioned.
She slammed the SIR process in Bengal as "unplanned" and highlighted a critical flaw in the mapping of voters. Banerjee stated that the EC officials, or "Vanish Kumar babus," ignored the delimitation of constituencies in Kolkata carried out in 2005 and 2009. Instead, they are allegedly using the voters' list from the previous SIR in 2002 to map current voters.
"Did you (EC) even consider the delimitation after 2002? How will the address of a voter remain the same as in 2002 when his ward has changed?" she asked. She gave the example of Bhowanipore, which was once part of Alipore constituency, and said such changes happened in several areas, making the current mapping process incorrect and a "blunder."
Concerns Over Micro-Observers and Procedural Hurdles
Banerjee also raised strong objections to the EC's decision to appoint central government employees as micro-observers for the SIR hearings in Bengal. She demanded details of these appointees, alleging they are "Delhi-based BJP agents" with no knowledge of Bengal or its languages, making them unfit to conduct fair hearings.
She alleged the EC has created roadblocks for voters trying to trace their names back to the 2002 list, noting discrepancies in EPIC numbers. "It has been observed that EPIC numbers of 2002 and the present EPIC numbers don't match. Is it not a criminal offence?" she questioned, calling the entire exercise "unplanned, unconstitutional, undemocratic and autocratic."
Banerjee also cited the use of English in Kolkata's voter lists as a barrier for poor hawkers, shopkeepers, and marginalized people. She held the EC responsible for the deaths of 46 people in the context of the electoral process, exonerating Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and stating, "You (EC) will have to take responsibility for that."
