Mamata Banerjee on Thursday slammed the central government for granting legal immunity to election officials under the 2023 Act and accused the Election Commission of deleting thousands of voters in West Bengal.
In a press conference, Banerjee said that the Act shields Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners from civil or criminal proceedings for acts carried out in the discharge of official duties. She added that the immunity provision allows officials to act without fear of accountability, potentially masking abuses.
The premier pointed to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, claiming that four times as many voters were cut in constituencies won by the Trinamool Congress. She said that the deletions were disproportionately targeted at TMC supporters and called on the authorities to investigate.
Banerjee also alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party orchestrated the destruction of about 4,000 electronic voting machines in the state and that TMC workers are facing restrictions, court orders, and daily harassment. She noted that she cannot leave her house without a court order and that 200–300 hooligans confront her family each day.
The TMC chief warned the BJP that it will face immediate backlash and urged the Election Commission to conduct an independent probe into the alleged voter purges. The central government is expected to respond in the coming days.