Mamata Slams CEC Over Bengal Rolls

Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of removing voter rights and claimed that the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls was used to alter election results in the state.

Election Claims

More than 27 lakh voters were found ineligible after the Special Intensive Revision in West Bengal, and only seven lakh of them filed appeals by August to get back on the voter lists. Mamata alleged that the CEC and EC director general of IT Seema Khanna took over the election and counting process. She claimed that the revision acted as a special incentive for the ruling party, effectively gifting the BJP 150 out of 208 seats. Trinamool leaders also demanded a probe into a June fire in Kolkata's Alipore area that destroyed about 4,000 electronic voting machines.

Counting Doubts

Abhishek Banerjee demanded that the Election Commission release CCTV footage from counting centres in about 100 constituencies, specifically naming Rajarhat-Gopalpur, Bhabanipur, and Satgachhia. He claimed that the Trinamool was leading by 11,000 to 12,000 votes at one point before party agents were threatened and forced to leave. He also raised concerns over Form 17C data discrepancies involving electronic voting machine serial numbers.

Context

Electoral rolls and voter list revisions are routine administrative processes managed by election authorities to update voter databases, but major list revisions often face intense political scrutiny. Disputes over voter deletions and counting procedures frequently surface during high-stakes state and national elections in India.