West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of adding “fake voters” from other states to the electoral rolls with the alleged support of the Election Commission.
Speaking at a Trinamool Congress (TMC) meeting in Kolkata, Banerjee also questioned the appointment of Gyanesh Kumar as the chief election commissioner.
“It is evident how the BJP is manipulating the voters’ list with the backing of the Election Commission,” the TMC chief alleged.
Recalling her 26-day hunger strike during the 2006 anti-land acquisition movement, Banerjee asserted that her party could similarly launch a protest against the Election Commission. “If necessary, we will stage an indefinite dharna outside the Election Commission’s office to demand corrections in the voter rolls and the removal of fake electors,” PTI quoted her as saying.
‘BJP Won Delhi, Maharashtra Polls by Enrolling Fake Voters’
Banerjee further alleged that the BJP secured victories in Delhi and Maharashtra by enlisting fake voters from Haryana and Gujarat.
“The BJP knows it cannot win elections in Bengal if they are conducted in a free and fair manner. That’s why they plan to bring in fake voters from Haryana and Gujarat, just as they did in Delhi and Maharashtra,” she claimed.
She also vowed that the TMC would identify these “fake voters” allegedly added to the rolls with BJP’s assistance.
“We will not allow outsiders (BJP) to take control of Bengal. What happened in Delhi elections will not be repeated here,” she asserted.
Confident about the upcoming Bengal assembly elections, Banerjee told TMC workers, “We will secure more than 215 out of 294 seats and ensure the BJP’s numbers dwindle.”
During the meeting, Banerjee also criticized the deportation of “illegal” Indian immigrants from the United States, calling the act “shameful” and questioning why the central government did not send planes to bring them back.
“Every time elections approach, the BJP talks about infiltration, yet our own citizens are deported from the US in chains. Why were they brought back in such a humiliating manner? It is a disgrace for the nation,” she said, as quoted by PTI.
