Kolkata: Days after a couple of suicides and panic-related incidents sent shockwaves across Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday launched a blistering attack on the Election Commission (EC), accusing it of a grave manipulation of records. The party alleged that the poll body had quietly removed thousands of names from the electoral rolls uploaded on its website — names that, it claimed, exist in the hard copy of the 2002 voter list.
The ruling party in Bengal also alleged a sinister nexus between the Election Commission (EC) and the BJP behind the removal of voters’ names. At a press conference, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh and state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya accused the EC of serious discrepancies in the voter list, claiming there was a “massive mismatch” between the hard copy of the 2002 voter list and the latest version published online. They further alleged that the EC, in collusion with the BJP, was responsible for the manipulation and demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.
Citing data, both the leaders claimed that in a booth—Kaljani Aided Primary School of Natabari Assembly Constituency (AC), Cooch Behar—which now falls under booth number 303 of Khapaidanga village in Cooch Behar Uttar AC, the 2002 voter list had recorded 717 names. But the online electoral roll shows 140 names.
Similarly, in booth number 160 (Mathabhanga College, Room No. 2) of Pachagarh village in Mathabhanga AC, the 2002 voter list had 846 registered voters. Now, in booth number 2/244, the number dropped to 416. Ashoknagar Assembly constituency’s Guma-1 Gram Panchayat under Habra-2 block, booth number 159 currently shows no registered voters on the EC’s website — though the 2002 list recorded around 900 names. Similar discrepancies were cited in Cooch Behar, where several booths allegedly show 400–900 missing names. In Majherdabri, Alipurduar, even the names of the BLO’s father, mother, and brother have been deleted from the voter list, alleged TMC.
Ghosh accused the BJP of being behind the “planned removal” of names, alleging that deletions were done “from BJP offices” and later uploaded by the EC.
TMC also warned that it will not allow even a single legitimate voter’s name to be removed and has already lodged a complaint with the Commission. Bhattacharya added that even some BJP supporters’ names have been accidentally deleted, causing internal friction within the party.