KOLKATA, April 1: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday raised concerns over the conduct of recently appointed officials by the Election Commission, alleging that they were tasked with rejecting nominations of her party candidates.
Speaking at three election rallies across the state, she urged TMC nominees to exercise caution while filing nominations and recommended that they take lawyers along to avoid disqualification.
At a rally in Nanoor, Birbhum district, Banerjee accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of misusing central agencies and deploying outsiders for political gains.
She also claimed the BJP was acting against women, citing deletion of female voter names from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Banerjee alleged that the BJP sought bank account details of poor residents, warning that sharing such information could result in the loss of their money. She also criticized attempts to bring voters from other states into West Bengal and vowed that outsiders “will not be able to take over Bengal” as long as she is in power.
The CM welcomed recent Supreme Court observations on the SIR process, stating that her government had already restored approximately 22 lakh voter names, while 18 lakh more were yet to be reinstated.
Banerjee emphasized that affected voters could appeal before tribunals, with the state bearing the associated costs.
She also highlighted alleged large-scale deletions in several constituencies, including Dinhata and Bhabanipur, her own constituency.
Despite this, she expressed confidence that such measures would not help the BJP win elections and urged people to vote for TMC in all 294 assembly constituencies.
Banerjee’s campaign rallies also touched on developmental schemes. She highlighted the ‘Yubasathi’ program, describing it as financial support, not a handout, for youth.
She assured that the process for disbursing funds was ongoing and defended the ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ scheme for beneficiaries.
Banerjee also criticized the central government for rising LPG prices, suggesting citizens might have to revert to traditional cooking methods after the elections, and emphasized that her government continued providing free ration to residents.
Addressing local issues, she alleged that land belonging to Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen in Santiniketan was under threat and had to intervene to protect it.
She also warned against BJP attempts to manipulate electoral rolls, citing deletions affecting Hindus, Muslims, and Adivasis. Regarding allegations of infiltration in the state, she placed responsibility squarely on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, stating she had communicated her concerns in writing to them.
Overall, Mamata Banerjee’s speeches combined election strategy with a focus on administrative vigilance, social welfare programs, women’s rights, and state sovereignty, portraying a strong critique of the BJP while urging voters to support TMC.
She called for vigilance in filing nominations and underscored the government’s commitment to restoring voter names, ensuring youth support, and safeguarding residents’ welfare amidst ongoing electoral tensions. (PTI)
