Former West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday escalated her attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, demanding fresh elections in West Bengal and criminal proceedings against him.
Banerjee alleged that the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election was compromised and linked her allegations to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
“BJP and Gyanesh Kumar is a joint venture company. They together looted the Bengal election. If you have any moral strength, give back our election,” Banerjee said.
Her remarks came months after the Bharatiya Janata Party ended the TMC’s 15-year rule in West Bengal. According to the Election Commission’s official results, the BJP won 207 of the 293 seats for which results were declared, while the TMC won 80.
Mamata links election defeat to SIR
Banerjee has now connected the election result with the SIR exercise, alleging that the revision of electoral rolls affected the outcome of the election.
She accused the Election Commission of providing protection to the BJP during the electoral process and referred to SIR as a “Special Incentive for Ruling party”.
“This CEC must be arrested. He has no moral authority to continue,” Banerjee said.
The SIR process has become a major political issue in West Bengal, particularly after reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections to several decisions concerning electoral-roll management.
An Indian Express investigation reported that the two Election Commissioners had formally objected at least 14 times over a period of 10 months to decisions taken by the poll panel without their knowledge. The Election Commission has, however, said that different views during internal deliberations are normal and that its final decisions were unanimous.
“Gyanesh Kumar must be arrested”
Banerjee also called for criminal proceedings against the CEC and demanded repolls in states where Kumar oversaw elections and the SIR exercise.
“Gyanesh Kumar must be arrested, and criminal proceedings must be initiated,” she said.
She further alleged that Kumar’s “only job is to satisfy the ego of BJP” and claimed that the BJP’s victories in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and elections held in 2025-26 were linked to his functioning as Election Commissioner.
These claims are allegations made by Banerjee and have not been established as findings against Gyanesh Kumar by a court or independent investigation.
Opposition pressure grows on Election Commission
Banerjee’s demand comes amid a wider Opposition campaign against the Election Commission following reports about internal objections within the poll panel.
Opposition leaders have questioned the handling of electoral-roll revisions and demanded action against Gyanesh Kumar. The latest controversy has also brought renewed attention to the SIR exercise and the way decisions concerning voter lists were taken.
Banerjee said the Opposition’s earlier impeachment effort against Kumar was blocked and argued that a different form of action should now be taken.
“They didn’t allow our impeachment motion. But impeachment isn’t required anymore. Now he should be arrested,” she said.
She also said the Opposition had approached the Chief Justice of India over the issue.
“Now the judiciary should listen to the voice of the common man,” Banerjee said.
Mamata calls for INDIA bloc protest
Banerjee said the INDIA bloc would meet over the issue and announced that Opposition parties would continue their protest against the Election Commission.
“As long as you retain the chair, we shall continue to protest. All INDIA bloc will protest,” she said.
She also called for an “uprising” against the Election Commission.
Her remarks come as the dispute over the SIR process expands beyond West Bengal’s voter rolls and becomes part of a larger Opposition challenge to the functioning of the Election Commission.
Why SIR has become a major issue in Bengal
SIR is an Election Commission exercise aimed at checking and updating electoral rolls. The process has faced political opposition in West Bengal because of the large number of voter records affected during the revision.
The latest controversy intensified after reports of internal objections by two Election Commissioners. According to the Indian Express investigation, the objections covered several matters involving electoral-roll management.
The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion that these internal discussions amounted to a final split among the three Election Commissioners. The poll panel has maintained that its final decisions were unanimous.
Bengal election result remains at the centre of the dispute
The 2026 Assembly election ended the TMC’s 15-year rule in West Bengal, with the BJP winning 207 seats and the TMC 80, according to the Election Commission’s official results.
Banerjee is now challenging the legitimacy of that election through her allegations about the Election Commission and SIR and is demanding fresh polling.
Her latest comments therefore bring together three separate but connected political issues: the 2026 Bengal election result, the SIR voter-roll exercise and the growing dispute over the Election Commission’s internal decision-making.
For now, Banerjee’s demands for repolls, Gyanesh Kumar’s arrest and criminal proceedings remain political demands. The Election Commission continues to defend its decisions and has said that final decisions were taken unanimously.
