"30 lakh voter names deleted to benefit BJP": Abhishek Banerjee mounts fierce attack on CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Launching a blistering offensive against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that 30 lakh voter names were deliberately deleted from electoral rolls to favour the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal, while citing the Supreme Court's split verdict on the Election Commission selection panel.

Launching a blistering offensive against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that 30 lakh voter names were deliberately deleted from electoral rolls to favour the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal, while citing the Supreme Court's split verdict on the Election Commission selection panel. Addressing reporters here, the TMC National General Secretary claimed that similar electoral roll manipulations were executed in Haryana and Bihar, demanding that a Look Out Circular (LOC) be issued against the CEC alongside his immediate arrest for allegedly acting at the behest of the Central government.

"The allegations we raised earlier have today been echoed by the other Election Commissioners as well. Just as the names of 30 lakh people were deleted from the voter list to benefit one political party, the same was done in Haryana and Bihar," Banerjee alleged. Demanding stringent action against the CEC, Banerjee said, "An LOC must be issued against Gyanesh Kumar. Many people were concerned whether I would return if I went abroad; similarly, an LOC should be issued against Gyanesh Kumar to ensure he cannot leave the country. He has worked for the BJP, and I believe Gyanesh Kumar should be arrested."

Banerjee also flagged the dismissal of the impeachment motion moved by Opposition parties, while pointing to the Supreme Court's split verdict on the validity of the selection panel appointing Election Commissioners. "An impeachment motion was brought against him in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, but it was dismissed without citing any reason. The rules regarding his appointment were changed without respecting the Supreme Court's judgment. An individual appointed on the Prime Minister's nomination will work only for the Prime Minister and BJP leaders," Banerjee claimed.

Taking a political swipe at the BJP, Banerjee remarked, "The curse of Bengal has struck them. They had deployed all their might to take over Bengal, but today the BJP's condition across India has become pathetic." This comes after a report by the Indian Express that said that decisions taken on the Special Intensive Regulation (SIR) process were objected to by two of the three Election Commissioners.

According to the report, "Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected at least 14 times over the last 10 months to decisions taken and orders issued without their knowledge." (ANI)