Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal government has been at loggerheads with the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the conduct of Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in the state.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who has repeatedly attacked the ECI and accused it of bulldozing the Opposition and destroying the foundation of Indian democracy on “behalf of the BJP”, once again pounced on the poll panel on Tuesday, saying that the cat was out of the bag.
Speaking to reporters at the Kolkata airport en route to an election campaign in north Bengal, Mamata said there is now proof to show that ECI is biased, referring to the controversy around the official BJP seal being used on a document circulated by the Kerala chief electoral officer (CEO).
“I want to show something that proves ECI is not impartial. The cat is out of the bag,” Mamata said, holding up a newspaper report on the Kerala incident. “Why are you playing from behind? Play face to face. Everybody understands what’s going on,” said the CM.
The BJP seal was found on a document of ECI’s guidelines on publication of candidates’ criminal antecedents.
Explaining the embarrassing incident, the Kerala CEO told the media that it resulted from a “clerical mistake”.
The Kerala CEO’s office said that BJP’s state unit had sought clarification on the 2019 guidelines, and also submitted a photocopy of the original directive from 2019.
“The party’s seal was present on that specific copy provided by them. Due to an oversight, the office failed to notice the party symbol on the submitted document and inadvertently redistributed it to other political parties as part of the requested clarification,” the CEO’s office said.
But Mamata was not convinced.
“Is this a clerical mistake? I want to make a request to all political parties. Let us fight against the dictatorship, the one-party autocratic rule of the government and its agencies. It is not that I want support from any party. Let us save democracy. Forget who’s Left and who’s Right. Stand by the people,” the Bengal CM said.
To dismantle @BJP4India’s authoritarian regime and restore the soul of Indian democracy, every political party must now set aside narrow differences and forge a united front of resistance.
The time has come for a broader, decisive battle against those who seek to impose ‘One… pic.twitter.com/GTCA0nrdPa
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) March 24, 2026
TMC and Mamata are seeking a fourth term in the state, having won the Assembly polls in 2011 to end Left Front’s 34-year rule, and then in 2016 and 2021 as well.
Voting in West Bengal will this time be held in two phases, on April 23 and 29.