Kolkata: Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday questioned the role of the Election Commission (EC) in holding polls in West Bengal and cautioned against alleged attempts by the ruling party at the Centre to add fake names in the voter list “using the EC.”
Banerjee, who alleged that the independent role of the poll panel has been compromised since 2014 when the BJP came to power, was addressing a virtual meeting of the party where all state committee leaders, MPs, MLAs, and local representatives were present to discuss the party’s strategy ahead of the 2026 assembly polls and the status of TMC’s efforts to detect voter list irregularities in the state.
He cited the alleged inclusion of fake and bogus voters in Maharashtra, where “a staggering 39 lakh voters were added in 4 months to win elections.”
He asked the TMC rank and file to be vigilant, saying, “From April 16, verification work will begin, and we must resist any malpractices.”
Banerjee outlined plans for training camps in every assembly constituency, adding, “These will ensure that ground leaders can carry out the verification accordingly.”
He added that over the next five days, the zila committees will be formed, and from March 21, block committees will be formed by the party within six days. From March 28-April 3, anchal and ward committees will be formed.
He emphasised that all committees will carry out organisational tasks at the grassroots level and ensure a thorough scrutiny of the voter list as part of their responsibilities.
Banerjee also announced that soon some of the district and block presidents of TMC will be changed.
Questioning the role of the EC, Banerjee said, “In the 2021 assembly elections, the poll panel conducted multiple-phase polls despite the Covid situation and effected the change of district magistrates and police officials to help the BJP at the Centre.”
Citing the Sandeshkhali issue, Banerjee claimed, “Conspiracies were hatched by the Centre using different agencies and spreading false information.”
“Attempts were also made to use the heinous crime at RG Kar Hospital against the ruling party, using central agencies and forces to create instability. But the people of Bengal were with us and saw through the conspiracy,” Banerjee added.
On women’s empowerment, Banerjee praised the ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ project, saying, “Without any central assistance, the state has managed to run the scheme and bring smiles to the faces of economically disadvantaged women.”
Describing the BJP as a party that gives fake promises, Banerjee said, “In Maharashtra, before the polls, they promised to provide money but later held back the funds and cut the budget.”
“Before the Lok Sabha polls, one of their leaders in Bengal claimed they would stop ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’, but BJP did not take any action against her,” he said, without naming the leader.
Banerjee also called upon leaders from different districts to focus on areas where TMC did not perform as expected in the previous polls.
He said, “If we had worked harder, we could have won the Kanthi seat in Purba Medinipur, which was won by the BJP.”
In the city, he emphasised the need for more focus on pockets like Jorasanko and Chowringhee, which have sizable cosmopolitan voters where the BJP could make inroads.
Banerjee also addressed concerns about extortion attempts, stating, “We have noticed many people trying to extort money in the name of IPAC or from the office of Abhishek Banerjee.”
IPAC is the political consultancy firm employed by TMC in the 2021 assembly polls and later.
Banerjee also called upon leaders of different districts and pockets to pay attention where TMC didn’t perform as expected in the last polls.
A phone number was shared to report anyone attempting to claim money from IPAC and dupe leaders.
Among other issues, the organisational meeting focused on voter list scrutiny, which had been flagged by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a public meeting in February, the leader said.
TMC state president Subrata Bakshi was also present at the meeting.
Banerjee was absent at the first meeting of the core committee, which was attended by Bakshi and ministers Aroop Biswas and Firhad Hakim held at Trinamool Bhavan recently.
Regarding Banerjee’s meeting, Trinamool Congress said in a post on social media said, “On February 27, Smt. @MamataOfficial exposed the ECI’s fake voter scam, revealing a grave threat to free and fair elections. Today, our National General Secretary, Shri @abhishekaitc and State President, Shri Subrata Bakshi, convened a key virtual party meeting to address this issue and chart the next course of action.”
“We stand firm against electoral malpractice – democracy cannot be compromised,” the party said in the post on X.
