'Vanish Kumar has to go': Mamata slams poll chief

• Mamata Banerjee alleges voter deletions in West Bengal rolls
• TMC leader claims security staff threatened voters during polls
• She demands scrutiny of the Special Intensive Revision exercise

Kolkata: Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stepped up her attack on the Election Commission on Thursday, alleging that voters were being deleted from electoral rolls in the state and claiming

that areas where the TMC had won elections witnessed a higher number of deletions.

Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Banerjee also questioned the legal provision granting immunity to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, while accusing the poll panel of attempting to deprive people of their voting rights.

Taking a dig at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Banerjee referred to him as “Vanish Kumar” and alleged that he had attempted to take away people's right to vote.

“There is a lot of discussion about ‘Vanish’ Kumar, who is currently in charge. We have been fighting for the rights of citizens and to protect their voting rights from the beginning,” Banerjee said.

She said she did not want to take the CEC's name, alleging that those who had worked to deprive people of their rights could not be forgiven.

Banerjee also alleged that security personnel had gone door-to-door in West Bengal and threatened people against voting for the TMC during the state polls.

Referring to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, she said the process needed to be examined “inch by inch” and “booth by booth”, particularly in view of allegations of voter deletions.

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She cited the experience of Bihar, where the SIR exercise had earlier triggered concerns over deletions raised by opposition parties, and argued that similar scrutiny was necessary in West Bengal.

Banerjee also questioned the immunity provision for election commissioners, alleging that it was introduced and passed when 147 MPs had been suspended from Parliament.

“When 147 MPs were suspended from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, they brought the Immunity Bill and forcibly passed it,” she said.

Her remarks come amid an intensifying political confrontation between the TMC and the Election Commission over the electoral roll revision process in West Bengal.