New Delhi, October 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of centralising the electoral process and alleged that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was being used to serve the interests of the BJP-led Central government.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Banerjee criticised Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the electoral process had been “hijacked” and that voters’ rights were being undermined. Referring to the CEC as “Vanish Kumar”, she said the question of forgiving him was for the people of India to decide.
Banerjee alleged that voter deletions in West Bengal were disproportionately high in constituencies previously won by the undivided Trinamool Congress. She presented constituency-wise figures to support her claims and said nearly 3.5 lakh voters had been removed from electoral rolls between the 2021 and 2026 elections.
She said her party had approached courts and the Election Commission over the SIR exercise, including taking a group of people it described as affected voters to the ECI office. She alleged that they were treated disrespectfully. She also claimed that Trinamool Congress MPs were asked to leave when they sought a meeting with the Commission regarding the party symbol.
The former Chief Minister questioned the immunity provisions introduced in 2023 for the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners. She alleged that the legislation had been passed when 147 MPs were suspended from Parliament and argued that such immunity should not place election officials beyond accountability.
Referring to allegations of “vote chori” raised by the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, Banerjee said the concerns had emerged late and required further examination. She also alleged that EVMs had been burned in West Bengal and accused the BJP of masterminding the SIR exercise.
Banerjee named Seema Khanna, Director General of the ECI’s IT Division, alleging her involvement in what she described as the abrupt deletion of voters. She said her party had written to the Commission questioning Khanna’s appointment. She also cited a letter from the WBCS (Executive) Officers’ Association that reportedly raised concerns about Electoral Registration Officers’ access to the ECINet software.
Banerjee further referred to the deaths by suicide of 18 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), raising concerns about the circumstances surrounding the electoral revision process. She alleged that similar issues had occurred in Maharashtra but had not attracted comparable scrutiny.
Recounting her experience during the Bhabanipur constituency counting process, Banerjee claimed she was leading by 15,000 votes when counting centres were allegedly captured after two or three rounds. She further alleged that she was assaulted and prevented from entering a counting centre, that CCTV cameras were blocked and that EVMs were hacked.
She accused Gyanesh Kumar and Seema Khanna of interfering in the counting process in West Bengal and alleged that the CEC’s actions were driven by a desire to satisfy the Central government.
Banerjee maintained that the Election Commission’s functioning had shifted from a decentralised system to a centralised one, reiterating her allegation that the electoral process and voters’ rights were being compromised.
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