In a significant escalation of political tensions ahead of the upcoming state polls, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of failing to address concerns over alleged manipulation of electoral rolls. The allegations came after a high-level TMC delegation met with the full bench of the Commission on Wednesday.
Allegations of "Vote Theft" Through Roll Manipulation
Trinamool national general secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee spearheaded the accusations, asserting that the real "vote chori" (vote theft) is not occurring through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) but through the deliberate manipulation of voter lists. He claimed this tactic went unnoticed by opposition parties in several states where they faced defeat.
Banerjee specifically pointed to states like Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Bihar. "If they had caught this, BJP would have lost in these states," he stated emphatically. The TMC leader warned that his party would not allow a repeat of such alleged manipulation in West Bengal, which is scheduled to go to the polls in a few months.
A Contentious Meeting and Legal Threats
The meeting between the 10-member TMC delegation and the EC, which lasted for about two-and-a-half hours, was described as confrontational. The delegation included prominent figures such as MPs Derek O'Brien, Saket Gokhale, Kalyan Banerjee, Nadimul Haque, Ritabrata Banerjee, and Mamata Thakur, along with ministers from the West Bengal government.
Banerjee alleged that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was "aggressive" during the interaction. He publicly challenged the CEC to release the CCTV footage of the meeting to let the public judge the proceedings. Expressing deep dissatisfaction with the EC's response, Banerjee declared, "EC has failed to address most of the concerns we raised. We will not accept the final voter list if it has discrepancies." He went a step further by alleging a collusion between the Election Commission and the ruling BJP.
Call for Ground Action and Legal Recourse
Banerjee underscored that the battle against what he termed "vote theft" cannot be won through television debates or social media campaigns alone. He asserted that opposition parties, including the Congress, must have a strong physical presence on the ground, particularly at polling booths. This, he argued, is essential to thwart any manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and the special summary revision of electoral rolls.
The TMC leader issued a clear warning, stating that the party would explore all available legal options if the Election Commission fails to adequately address its concerns regarding the SIR process. He reiterated his core allegation, stating, "Theft is happening in the voter list, in the software, not in EVM. You are failing to understand what algorithms are being used to disenfranchise voters." Banerjee claimed that in the states he mentioned, people desired to vote for opposition parties but were prevented by systematic manipulation of the rolls.
