'Vote chori is happening in electoral rolls not in EVMs'

Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who led his party's delegation to the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Delhi on Wednesday, raising 10 issues before the poll body, including the 58 lakh deletions from the draft rolls, the summoning of over 1.36 crore voters for SIR hearing, issues like mismatch of father's name, questionable age gap between parents and children, launched a scathing attack on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar alleging that "vote chori" is happening in electoral rolls and not in EVMs.

- OUR CORRESPONDENT

Banerjee was speaking at a press briefing outside the ECI office in Delhi after submitting a 10-point memorandum to the ECI. "Do you think it is a coincidence that the Cooperative Secretary was made the Chief Election Commissioner? He was sent on a mission to destroy the Constitution and this institution. This is not a coincidence. He thinks that whatever was told to him, we would just listen silently," Banerjee thundered on the CEC.

Alleging the CEC is acting at the behest of his "political master" BJP, Banerjee further stated: "The people of Bengal are built differently.

Let the BJP use whatever agencies they have at their disposal. They have fallen flat on their faces in 2012, 2021, 2024, and it will happen again in 2026. We will bow before the power of the people, not the people in power."

Banerjee also alleged that instructions were given through Whatsapp and no circulars are being issued only to dodge the political parties from moving courts. "Instructions are being given on WhatsApp. Governments function through circulars and notifications, not through WhatsApp directives. Does the Union government and the ECI want to run the country through WhatsApp without issuing any circulars or notifications? What is stopping them from issuing circulars?" he asked. He also raised questions as why can't BLA2 representatives be part of the hearing process?

"What is the ECI trying to hide? Why is the ECI not making the discrepancy list public? How can you clean a list by hiding details?" asked Banerjee. "I appeal to all, the vote-chori is happening in the voters' list, not through EVMs. You don't know what algorithm; software they are using to disenfranchise people. They are trying to weaponize the electoral roll," he added. "Parties like Congress, AAP could not catch this in states like Maharashtra, Delhi and Haryana," added Banerjee.