Kolkata, Sep 2026 : Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday stepped up her attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid the continuing controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, demanding his immediate arrest and calling for fresh Assembly elections in the state using the pre-SIR voter list.
In a Facebook Live address, Banerjee alleged that genuine voters had been removed from electoral rolls during the SIR exercise and accused the Election Commission of favouring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She also referred to a recent report about differences among members of the poll panel over decisions linked to electoral-roll management and the SIR process.
Banerjee claimed that the reported developments had vindicated concerns raised by her party earlier. She alleged that manipulation of voter lists, electronic voting machines and administrative machinery had contributed to BJP victories in several elections.
“Gyanesh Kumar should be arrested and criminal proceedings should be initiated against him,” Banerjee said, according to reports of her remarks. She also demanded fresh elections in West Bengal based on the voter list that existed before the SIR exercise.
The Trinamool Congress chief alleged that Kumar had played a role in the BJP's electoral victories since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. She questioned his continuation as Chief Election Commissioner and said protests against him would continue as long as he remained in office.
Banerjee also claimed that the Election Commission had misused police and central forces during elections. She further alleged that the electoral process in West Bengal had been compromised and called for a fresh mandate based on the earlier electoral rolls.
Her remarks came after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on several occasions over decisions connected with the SIR exercise. The report said the concerns included matters relating to electoral-roll deletions and other decisions taken during the revision process.
The Election Commission, however, has rejected the characterization of the commissioners' observations as formal dissent. The poll panel has said that decisions concerning the SIR were taken unanimously with the approval of all three Election Commissioners.
Banerjee also demanded that the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election be held again using the old voter list. She has argued that the alleged deletion of genuine voters during the SIR process undermined the validity of the electoral exercise. Reports said she also called for protests against the CEC and his removal from office.
The former Chief Minister further criticised the BJP-led state government over the law-and-order situation in West Bengal. She alleged that around 65 people had been killed over the previous four months and accused the state police of functioning as an extension of the BJP.
Banerjee warned police personnel that political circumstances could change and said they would eventually have to remain in the state with their families.
Her latest remarks have intensified the political dispute over the SIR exercise, the functioning of the Election Commission and the conduct of elections in West Bengal. The allegations made by Banerjee remain political claims, while the Election Commission has maintained that its decisions on the SIR were taken through the prescribed institutional process.
