Abhishek calls SC intervention in voter roll row a ‘victory for democracy’

Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday described the intervention of the Supreme Court of India in the ongoing voter list dispute as a “victory for democracy and the people of Bengal”, while launching a sharp attack on the Election Commission of India and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Addressing supporters from a sit-in protest stage at Esplanade in Kolkata, the Trinamool Congress national general secretary alleged that the poll body was delaying the voter roll process and depriving legitimate electors of their rights.

Banerjee praised journalists in the state for questioning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar about the controversy. He said their questioning had highlighted the difference between independent journalists and what he termed “godi media”, claiming the poll chief failed to answer difficult questions.

Referring to the hearing earlier in the day at the apex court, Banerjee alleged that valid voters were being removed from electoral rolls without being given an opportunity to defend themselves. According to him, lawyers representing his party told the court that legitimate voters were being unilaterally excluded from the list without any mechanism to present their case or appeal before the Election Commission.

He also accused the commission of deliberately creating technical glitches in its application system to slow down the process. Banerjee claimed the court had reprimanded the poll body and directed that safeguards be introduced to ensure genuine voters do not lose their voting rights.

The Trinamool Congress leader said the court had ordered the formation of an appeal tribunal bench with retired judges through the Calcutta High Court to handle disputes related to voter registration. He described the development as a triumph for democracy and for the party’s slogan of “Maa, Mati, Manush”.

Praising Mamata Banerjee, he said the court’s observations had validated the party’s position in the dispute.

Banerjee further alleged that under the leadership of the chief election commissioner, the poll panel was trying to prolong the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. According to him, the exercise should ideally have been completed within 15 days, but the commission was attempting to stretch it over several months.

He claimed the Supreme Court had indicated that the situation in West Bengal would be treated as a special case, allowing voter registrations to continue even until a day before the election if necessary.

Banerjee said the party’s legal and political campaign would continue until every eligible voter regained the right to vote. He urged individuals whose names had been removed to submit Form 6 applications to be re-registered.

Calling on party workers to assist people queuing at district and block election offices to submit their forms, he said help should be offered to all citizens regardless of political affiliation, religion or caste.

During his speech, Banerjee also requested the chief minister to withdraw her ongoing protest, noting that she had been sitting on the streets for five days and that the Supreme Court had acknowledged the concerns raised.

He added that the party would intensify its political campaign across the state in the coming weeks, with leaders visiting every Assembly constituency to challenge the BJP at around 80,000 polling booths.

Later, in a post on X, Banerjee again criticised the chief election commissioner, referring to him as “Vanish Kumar” and alleging that the visit to Bengal had yielded no answers regarding the alleged disappearance of voters’ names from electoral rolls.

He claimed the poll chief had failed to clarify the status of around 6 million voters reportedly placed “under adjudication” or outline a clear roadmap for the publication of supplementary voter lists.

Banerjee also warned that no individual could remain above the Constitution indefinitely, saying those who believed they were beyond its reach would eventually face legal accountability.

With PTI inputs