BJP, ECI responsible for deaths, voter list purge: Mamata Banerjee

WB CM Mamata Banerjee accuses the ECI and BJP of using AI to delete voters' names from the electoral roll, blaming them for 84 deaths during the revision process. She calls it a 'coordinated conspiracy' to disenfranchise Bengal voters.

Mamata Blames BJP, ECI for Deaths, Voter Deletion via AI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of deleting voters' names from the electoral roll using artificial intelligence on the behest of the BJP.

Addressing a press conference in Howrah, Mamata Banerjee held the BJP responsible for the alleged deaths during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the voter lists in the state. The Chief Minister said, "84 people died till this morning; 4 died by suicide, 17 lost their lives due to brain stroke or heart stroke after getting SIR notice. The Election Commission should take responsibility for all these deaths. BJP should take responsibility for all these deaths; even Duryodhana and Dushasana should take responsibility for these deaths. Names are deleted through AI on the BJP's instructions. As per our knowledge, there is a plan that people from Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha are entering here and voting in Bengal."

‘Logical Discrepancies’ a Dubious Category, Alleges CM

Further, the TMC leader called the ECI's 'logical discrepancies' claim a "dubious category", forcing 1.36 crore voters to face hearings. "Acting at the behest of the BJP, ECI carried out SIR in Bengal in a reckless and ill-planned manner, resulting in the deletion of nearly 58 lakh names from the electoral rolls. When even this massive purge failed to satisfy the BJP's political objectives, a new and dubious category called 'logical discrepancies' was invented, forcing 1.36 crore voters to face hearings without the Commission even disclosing the complete list of names. Still unsatiated, the BJP has now escalated this assault on democracy by ferrying in people from other states, loading vehicles with thousands of Form 7, and coercively submitting them to engineer the mass deletion of genuine voters," Mamata told reporters.

Even in Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's case, the Electoral Roll Officers' Network (ERONET) portal flagged a "logical discrepancy". The West Bengal CEO said that the age difference between Professor Sen, who is a voter in the Bolpur assembly constituency in West Bengal's Birbhum, and his mother, Amita Sen, was less than 15 years. She also termed the SIR a "coordinated conspiracy" to disenfranchise the people of West Bengal. "Micro observers deployed in Bengal are openly pressuring EROs and AEROs to accept these bulk submissions, in violation of the very electoral rules laid down by the Election Commission itself. This is a coordinated conspiracy to disenfranchise Bengal, executed through intimidation, manipulation, and the wholesale abuse of constitutional authority," she said.

BJP Hits Back at Mamata for Misusing State Office

Meanwhile, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari hit back at CM Mamata Banerjee for using the state office for holding the party's press conference. "The Honourable Chief Minister does not know how to respect the highest administrative chair--that much the entire country's people have already seen. During the ongoing investigation, she disgraced her position as Chief Minister by stealing important investigation documents right in front of everyone and fleeing! She considers himself above all laws and courts, not even abiding by the country's constitution. And now the new addition: During press conferences from the state's administrative office and while broadcasting on his social media, songs of the All India Trinamool Congress are playing," Adhikari said in a post on X.

The BJP leader added, "Everyone knows that she engages in political talk from the administrative office or attacks other political parties, and she does so fully aware. But the situation has now reached such a point that it's hard to tell whether it's the state's administrative office or the Trinamool party office."

Background of the Allegations

Earlier on Monday, Mamata Banerjee had alleged Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of procedural lapses in the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in the state. CM Mamata Banerjee alleged that the SIR exercise was resulting in undue harassment of citizens, wrongful deletion of eligible voters and their consequent disenfranchisement.

The Final electoral roll for West Bengal will be published on February 14, 2026. (ANI)

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