- Trinamool Congress plans to discuss impeaching Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar
- Mamata Banerjee accused the poll body of deleting up to 1 lakh voters in Trinamool-held constituencies
- Impeachment requires a parliamentary motion with significant majority support
The Trinamool Congress will speak to other parties to discuss the possibility of making a move to impeach Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid the bitter battle over the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal, where the assembly elections will be held soon, party sources said today.
The announcement comes a day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the top three Election Commission officials had a standoff in the poll body's Delhi office.
Confirming the development today, Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee told reporters that Gyanesh Kumar's manner of conducting the voter roll clean-up exercise was "incorrect".
"We are considering impeaching the Chief Election Commissioner because of the way he is conducting the SIR, which is incorrect and affects the voting rights of every citizen in the country," the MP told reporters in Delhi.
Earlier today, Mamata Banerjee held a press conference where she alleged the EC has been selectively using SIR to delete voters from assembly constituencies held by Trinamool MLAs.
"In assembly constituencies of BJP MLAs, the names of a maximum of 3,000 to 4,000 voters are deleted. But in constituencies held by Trinamool Congress MLAs, the number of voters deleted ranges between 40,000 and 1 lakh," Mamata Banerjee said.
"In my own constituency of Bhabanipur in South Kolkata, the names of 40,000 voters have already been deleted in the draft voters' list. Their final target is to delete one lakh names from Bhabanipur," she told reporters in Delhi.
She pressed on with her allegations, saying the EC "unilaterally deleted 58 lakh names in the draft voters' list without consulting electoral registration officers.
"The EC is indiscriminately issuing notice for hearing in the name of logical discrepancy. Even Nobel laureate and economist Amartya Sen was summoned for a hearing," Mamata Banerjee said.
The Trinamool's impeachment agenda adds to speculation within the opposition bloc INDIA about challenging Gyanesh Kumar's position, echoing earlier calls during similar controversies over voter roll revisions in states like Bihar.
Impeachment of the chief election commissioner needs a motion in parliament supported by a significant majority.
The Election Commission has said SIR is a constitutional duty to ensure clean and accurate electoral rolls, rejecting claims of political bias.
Delhi Meeting Chaos
In yesterday's high-decibel meeting, sources said the Bengal chief minister kept making false allegations and even "beat her hand on the table" despite the top three Election Commission officials showing restraint and being polite to her.
Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari called the chief minister's Delhi visit "dramabazi (an act)".
In his response, the chief election commissioner calmly explained to Mamata Banerjee the rule of law and why nobody should take the law in their hands, sources said. Any such move would be dealt with strictly as per the provisions of law and powers given by the Commission, they said.
The Trinamool MLAs who accompanied the Bengal chief minister used abusive and threatening language against the poll body and the chief election commissioner, sources said.
The Election Commission officials told Team Mamata that Trinamool workers and MLAs have vandalised the poll body's offices and structures in Bengal several times. They reminded Banerjee there should be no pressure, obstruction or interference of any kind on officials engaged in the SIR exercise.
