100 ‘Dead’ Voters Protest Outside Election Commission With CM Banerjee, Claims 58 Lakh Voters Replaced

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission of India after coming out of its office in New Delhi.

Her remarks followed a meeting over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which she claimed was carried out unfairly and selectively in certain states.

Addressing reporters outside the Election Commission office, Banerjee said she was deeply upset by what she described as an arrogant and misleading approach by the Election Commissioner.

'Never Seen Such Arrogance,' Says Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee said she had spent decades in national politics and had never witnessed such behaviour from an Election Commissioner. She reminded officials of her long political experience, saying she had served as a Union minister four times and as a Member of Parliament seven times.

She accused the Commission of targeting West Bengal and questioned why such a large number of voters were removed without giving them a chance to explain. According to Banerjee, elections are meant to be a democratic festival, not a process that excludes people silently.

She alleged that the names of 58 lakh voters were deleted and said those affected were not allowed to defend themselves.

Questions Over Selective SIR in States

Raising concerns about fairness, Banerjee questioned why the SIR was conducted in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, but not in Assam, where the BJP is in power. She argued that if such a large exercise had to be carried out, it should not have been done in election-bound states without proper planning.

She criticised the requirement for documents such as birth certificates of parents, saying this was unrealistic in India's social context. Banerjee pointed out that many people in earlier generations were born at home and did not have institutional birth records.

In a sharp remark, she said even senior national leaders may not be able to provide such documents and questioned whether the Prime Minister could produce birth certificates of his parents.

Claims of Errors, Deaths, and 'Mismatch'

The Chief Minister also alleged serious errors in the voters' list, including people being wrongly declared dead. She said she had brought around 100 people to Delhi, some of whom were officially listed as deceased despite being alive.

Banerjee further claimed that more than 150 people, including Booth Level Officers (BLOs), had died due to stress and pressure linked to the SIR process. She described the entire exercise as a "mismatch" and "mismapping" of voters.

'Working Under BJP's Direction,' Alleges CM

Mamata Banerjee accused the Election Commission of acting under political pressure and claimed the meeting environment was not transparent. She said outside cameramen were not allowed inside and alleged that the Commission justified all its actions instead of addressing concerns raised by her party.

She claimed that nearly two crore voters' names were removed nationwide and said she could bring lakhs of affected people to Delhi to prove her point.

Meeting Boycotted, Strong Warning Issued

Banerjee said her delegation eventually boycotted the meeting, accusing the Election Commission of insulting and humiliating them. She alleged that the Commissioner behaved badly and dismissed all concerns raised through five official letters, none of which, she said, received a reply.

Issuing a strong warning, she asked whether the Election Commission intended to decide governments even before elections were held. She said while the BJP may have power, her party had the support of the people.

"We came seeking justice," she said, "but instead, we were met with injustice."
The Election Commission has not yet publicly responded to her allegations.