Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal have refuted allegations of discrepancies in voters’ lists made by the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The CM was speaking at a Trinamool Congress meeting on Thursday (February 27, 2025).
“In every ward and every booth, and places where the State’s ruling party has included 50 to 100 fake names, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned at the organisational level to monitor and flag discrepancies in the voters’ list,” Rajya Sabha MP and chief spokesperson of the West Bengal BJP Samik Bhattacharya said at the party’s Salt Lake office on Thursday.
Speaking at an organisational meeting at Kolkata’s Netaji Indoor Stadium, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the saffron party and the Election Commission of India (ECI) of manipulating West Bengal’s voters’ list and fraudulently adding “fake voters” from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana to the State’s voters’ list.
‘CM fears defeat’
Responding to allegations of biased appointments at the ECI by the BJP, Mr. Bhattacharya said that there have been no allegations against the polling body during any of the elections that have taken place in the country.
“[Legislators] from Bengal can make these statements against the ECI, but no one has complained against them,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.
He said the Chief Minister’s statements at her party meeting reflected her “fear and anticipation of defeat.”
“The Chief Minister’s disappointment, her terror, and her fear of the day when she would be defeated are the reasons why she made such statements today,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.
He accused the Chief Minister and her party of including “Rohingyas and Bangladeshi infiltrators” in the voters’ list.
“We request the people of West Bengal, minorities, sensible Indian Muslims, those who speak Hindi and other regional languages, and tea garden workers to please remain alert, or the Trinamool Congress will try to remove your names from the list,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.
Responding to Ms. Banerjee’s allegations, Union Minister of State and President of the West Bengal BJP Sukanta Majumdar said that a party’s poll strategy cannot be decided in such meetings with party workers.
“Mamata Banerjee formulates her election strategies in meetings with district magistrates and police superintendents,” Mr. Majumdar alleged.
