Bengal CEO refutes Trinamool's allegations of voter list manipulation

West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has firmly denied Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s allegations of electoral roll manipulation, asserting that the voter registration process follows strict legal protocols. In a post on X, the CEO emphasized that the process adheres to the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. He further stated that political parties actively participate in the electoral roll updates through their Booth Level Agents.

The statement came after Mamata Banerjee accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of adding fake voters to the electoral rolls, allegedly to manipulate upcoming elections in West Bengal. She claimed that similar tactics had been used in Maharashtra and Delhi, enabling the BJP to gain an unfair advantage. In response to these concerns, she has set up a committee to investigate alleged irregularities in voter lists across all districts of the state.

Banerjee expressed her strong discontent, stating that the Election Commission was complicit in allowing fake voter registrations. She alleged that names of genuine voters were being removed under the pretext of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). According to her, many of the newly added names on the voter list were from Haryana and Gujarat, raising suspicions of outside interference in the state’s electoral process.

She urged the people of West Bengal to personally verify their names in the voter list, warning that the opposition was attempting to weaken the Trinamool Congress (TMC) ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. She stressed that vigilance at the grassroots level was crucial to preventing manipulation and ensuring fair elections. District presidents of the TMC have been instructed to oversee this process at the booth level.

To strengthen the party’s oversight, Banerjee announced the formation of an IT media cell, panchayat-level committees, and a core team to monitor and verify voter list entries. She emphasized that TMC leaders and supporters must take an active role in scrutinizing the electoral rolls to safeguard the democratic process.