Amid Row, Bengal BJP Chief Says Gyanesh Kumar Deserves Padma Bhushan

West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya on Friday said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar deserved a Padma Bhushan "at the very least", and credited him with ensuring a violence-free assembly election in the state and "cleansing" the voter list by removing illegal Bangladeshis from it.

Bhattacharya's defence of the CEC came amid a major controversy over the poll panel's functioning after reports surfaced that two election commissioners had objected to decisions allegedly taken in their names during the SIR exercise.

The Padma Bhushan is India's third-highest civilian award.