The Trinamool Congress continued to attack the BJP Government for manipulating elections and warned of adequate counter measures against all efforts to tamper with electoral rolls ahead of next year's Bengal Assembly elections.
Questioning the "doubtful appearance or disappearance of names" in and from the electoral rolls in Delhi Assembly seat "which might have been a cause for Aam Aadmi Party's defeat" TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday said that in "Bengal all such moves would be thwarted."
"More than 4 Lakh doubtful new names were added in the electoral rolls in the eight months - from June to January - before the Delhi Assembly elections which is unprecedented....four Lakh votes made the difference," Banerjee said. Adding how "in New Delhi seat alone 20,000 names disappeared whereas in some other place 30,000 suspicious names appeared … this trend has no satisfactory answer and arouses suspicion … this election process was not genuine … and the failure of AAP is that they could not handle it … but in Bengal such things will not allowed to take place." In Kolkata senior TMC leader and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sobhandeb Chatterjee warned the BJP against trying to make a mess of the electoral rolls.
"They have used this formula in a number of States … now they are trying to do it in Bengal by allowing online registration of names in the voters' list but we will not allow these names to be finalized until there is a physical verification with relevant credentials … we are taking this up with utmost priority," Chatterjee said. Earlier Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too had slammed the BJP for winning elections by fudging electoral rolls.
"How will you explain the ghost voters that swell the voters' lists causing you to win elections … from where 40 Lakh voters came in Maharashtra," Banerjee on Wednesday said alleging that the BJP has been "taking the help of the Election Commission."
Alleging that the voters' lists were manipulated in Haryana and Maharashtra Banerjee said that the Election Commission was made to look the other way. "And if anyone will protest you will send ED and CBI to frighten them … and here I have reports that the voters' lists are being fudged thousands of names are being added from Bihar we have alerted our people and the administration … we will thwart all your attempts and once again you will be defeated here," Banerjee said.
The TMC leadership's strong comments not with standing the Opposition came out with a sharp reply saying "fear is gradually settling in their hearts … the Chief Minister and other TMC leaders are afraid of losing elections in 2026."