Politics · India Bureau
West Bengal CM defends poll panel over voter roll deletions
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has defended the Election Commission over the controversial deletion of 27 lakh names from electoral rolls, attributing responsibility to the previous Mamata Banerjee administration.
LSN India ·
Adhikari mounted a robust defence of the Election Commission on Sunday amid escalating political tensions over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. At a press conference, the Chief Minister asserted that neither the BJP nor the poll panel could be held accountable for the voter deletions, placing full responsibility on the former administration led by Mamata Banerjee.
The BJP leader cited Saturday's meeting between Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi as evidence that decisions regarding the SIR were not taken unilaterally. Adhikari displayed a photograph of the three election officials released by the poll panel, arguing that the collective gathering demonstrated decisions were reached through consensus rather than individual action.
The Election Commission issued a statement on Saturday clarifying its position on the electoral roll revision process. The controversy surrounding the mass deletion of voter names has become a flashpoint in Bengal politics, with the ruling BJP and opposition TMC trading accusations over responsibility for the administrative decision.
The Special Intensive Revision is a periodic process undertaken by the Election Commission to update electoral rolls by removing ineligible or deceased voters. State officials have maintained that deletions during the SIR follow standard protocols established for roll maintenance across India.