"BJP stamp on EC's letterhead": Mamata questions transfer of 73 Returning Officers | Watch

Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday, following the sudden transfer of 73 Returning Officers across the state. Addressing the media at the airport while leaving for North Bengal, the Trinamool Congress supremo alleged that the ECI is no longer acting as an independent body but is operating under the direct influence of the BJP. She claimed that the Commission’s recent directives, including the reshuffling of top IAS and IPS officers, are part of a larger conspiracy to weaken the state administration before the upcoming assembly polls.

She specifically questioned the timing of the Monday night directive that saw 73 Returning Officers, mostly Sub-Divisional Magistrates, being replaced in a single sweep. "Why were 73 officers changed yesterday? Is the Commission working for the people or for a specific party?" she asked. Banerjee went as far as to state that the "Commission’s letterhead seems to have a BJP stamp on it," implying that every administrative move is being dictated by the saffron party to favor their electoral prospects.

Mamata Banerjee also targeted the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and the publication of the supplementary voter list. She alleged that the SIR process is being misused to harass genuine voters and warned that this "interference" would eventually lead to the downfall of both the ECI’s credibility and the BJP's political standing in Bengal.