Trinamool Congress national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee returned to Kolkata on Wednesday and launched a fresh attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, demanding that a lookout circular (LOC) be issued against him and that he be arrested over what Banerjee alleged was manipulation of electoral rolls.
Addressing reporters after his return from the United States, Banerjee said, “Many people were wondering whether I would return after travelling abroad. I have returned, and I am here in Kolkata.”
He then turned his focus to the Election Commission, saying an LOC should be issued against Kumar to prevent him from leaving the country.
“However, LOC should be issued against Gyanesh Kumar to prevent him from fleeing the country. He should be arrested for the manner in which he manipulated the voter list on behalf of the BJP and stole the elections,” Banerjee said.
The allegations are political claims by the TMC leader and have not been established by a court. The Election Commission has rejected allegations that its electoral-roll revision decisions were driven by partisan considerations.
Attack follows report on differences within Election Commission
Banerjee's remarks came amid a fresh controversy over the Election Commission's handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
A recent Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on multiple occasions over the preceding 10 months concerning decisions and orders related to electoral-roll revision. One of the reported disputes concerned changes to Form 6, the statutory form used by new voters to register themselves.
According to the investigation, Joshi had objected to changes in Form 6, arguing that the statutory form could not be altered without amendments to the relevant rules. Sandhu subsequently concurred with the objection and described the changes as “unauthorised/illegal”, according to the report.
Banerjee has cited the reported objections as evidence supporting his criticism of the CEC. Earlier on Wednesday, he also demanded Kumar's removal and a court-monitored investigation into the functioning of the poll panel.
ECI rejects claim of internal rift
The Election Commission, however, has rejected the suggestion that the reported internal exchanges demonstrate a division in the three-member panel.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ECI said written notes, observations and technical suggestions were part of its normal decision-making process. The Commission said such internal checks and balances were intended to ensure “complete transparency, legal compliance and operational rigour.”
The ECI further maintained that its decisions, including those relating to SIR, were unanimous. The Commission said highlighting individual internal notes without considering the broader body of approvals and decisions presented only part of the picture.
‘Vote chori’ allegations intensify
The dispute comes amid a wider Opposition campaign over electoral-roll revisions and alleged irregularities in the conduct of elections.
Banerjee has alleged that large numbers of voters were disenfranchised during the electoral-roll revision process. The Election Commission, however, has defended the SIR process and its handling of electoral rolls.
In West Bengal, the EC recently told the Supreme Court that 27.16 lakh names had been removed from the electoral rolls during the SIR exercise, while more than 22 lakh of those voters had subsequently filed appeals seeking reinstatement. The Commission attributed deletions to categories including absentee, shifted, deceased and duplicate electors.
