TMC Slams Election Commission After Heated Meeting With CEC Gyanesh Kumar

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday sharply criticised the Election Commission of India (ECI) after leading a 10-member party delegation in a long meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. 

The TMC said the poll body failed to clear key doubts on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in West Bengal.

What Did the TMC Raise With the Election Commission?

TMC leader said his team had gone to the ECI office in Delhi with a list of concerns about the SIR process in West Bengal. He alleged that the voter-verification exercise has raised what the party calls "logical discrepancies" and resulted in millions of voters being summoned for hearings.

He said the delegation did not get clear answers on most questions. The TMC leader claimed the Commission did not explain why around 1.36 crore voters were flagged or how the process was being carried out. 

Why Is Banerjee Calling It 'Vote Chori'?

Banerjee repeated a strong charge that electoral manipulation is happening through the voter roll revision, not through electronic voting machines. He used the term "vote chori" (vote theft) to describe what he saw as systematic flaws in the SIR process. 

He said the party would not accept the final voter list if it contained “discrepancies” and would approach the courts if needed. 

How Did the Meeting Unfold?

Banerjee's account of the meeting was tense. He accused the Chief Election Commissioner of losing his cool and gesturing at members of the TMC delegation during discussions. He also said the poll panel failed to address the party’s central concerns. 

In a combative tone, Banerjee said he told the CEC, "You are nominated, I am elected." He also challenged the Commission to make the meeting recording public. 

"They think that by raising their voice and speaking aggressively, everyone will be silenced. When we started speaking, he began losing his temper. He tried to stop some of us and pointed fingers at me. I then stated that you are a nominated official, but I am an elected representative. You are answerable to your masters, but I am answerable to the masses who elected me, for whom we have come here to ensure that no legitimate voter is deleted from the list... If he has the courage, let him release the footage. I am standing very close to the ECI office," he said.

"Gyanesh Kumar must be hearing what I am saying to the media right now. If he has the courage, he should come down, face the media, and rebut every point I am making, rather than making selective leaks after 8 pm. What is stopping him? Does he think the people of Bengal are his subservient? Apart from two-three questions, he has failed. Does he think the people of Bengal, and we MPs, ministers, and MLAs elected by the people, are bonded labourers or slaves?" he asked.

What Next for the Bengal Poll Battle?

The confrontation comes with the West Bengal Assembly elections due in the coming months. The TMC view, echoed by other party leaders, is that the SIR exercise is being used selectively against the state by the central poll authorities. 

Banerjee argued that voter hearings should be more accessible, especially for senior citizens and people with disabilities. He said the party has called on like-minded opposition parties to closely examine the voter rolls.