MAMATA SHARPENS ATTACK ON ELECTION CHIEF, RAISES FRESH CONCERNS OVER BENGAL POST-POLL VIOLENCE

October 2, 2026

West Bengal former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has intensified her criticism of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the Election Commission of failing to address alleged post-poll violence in the state while focusing on the revision of electoral rolls.

Speaking in Delhi, Banerjee questioned the Election Commission’s approach to complaints concerning violence and alleged attacks on political workers after the 2021 and 2024 elections. She said the poll panel should examine complaints of displaced voters and incidents of violence instead of concentrating only on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Banerjee also criticised the Chief Election Commissioner over remarks concerning the Trinamool Congress and its political presence in Bengal. She compared the CEC’s approach to that of a “lawnmower”, arguing that the Election Commission appeared intent on cutting down political opposition through the electoral-roll exercise.

Mamata alleged that people who had been forced to leave their homes following political violence were facing difficulties in returning and being recognised as voters. She called for attention to their grievances and questioned whether the electoral authorities had adequately addressed cases involving alleged intimidation and displacement.

Her comments came amid a broader confrontation between the Trinamool Congress and the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision. The exercise has triggered disputes over voter verification, documentation requirements and the possible deletion of names from electoral rolls.

The Election Commission has maintained that the revision process is intended to ensure accurate and reliable electoral rolls and has rejected allegations that it is being conducted to target particular political groups. The poll panel has also defended its statutory procedures for voter verification and deletion.

The latest exchange adds to the growing political dispute over the Bengal electoral rolls post Assembly election, with the Trinamool Congress challenging the Election Commission’s approach and the poll panel maintaining that electoral-roll revision is part of its constitutional responsibility.