KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on June 26, launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission (EC), alleging that its new guidelines for electoral roll verification amounted to a covert implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), with her state as the primary target. She claimed the electoral body was acting as a “stooge of the BJP.”
Speaking from Digha in Purba Medinipur, where she was overseeing preparations for the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Banerjee said she had received two lengthy letters from the EC, each spanning 25–30 pages.
Although she had not examined them fully, she said a cursory glance revealed that the Commission was now demanding a declaration form — Annexure D — from voters born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004. This form, she alleged, requires submission of both parents’ birth certificates as proof of citizenship.
Calling the move a “scam,” Banerjee questioned the logic behind targeting those born within this specific window.
“What is the rationale behind selecting these dates? Why isolate voters born after 1987? This is more dangerous than the NRC and must be resisted by all opposition parties,” she declared.
According to EC sources, the new guidelines are part of a special intensive revision of electoral rolls, set to begin in Bihar ahead of Assembly elections later this year. Under the new rules, voters registered before 2003 will not be required to furnish additional documents. However, those registered after 2003 must submit proof of identity and citizenship. The process includes door-to-door verification across the country, and in some states, the 2004 roll will serve as the baseline.
Banerjee expressed concern that the rollout in Bihar — where elections are imminent and the BJP is in power — is a diversionary tactic.
“They will not touch Bihar. The real target is Bengal, which heads to polls next year,” she said.
“This exercise is meant to disenfranchise young and vulnerable voters — particularly migrant workers, students, villagers, and the uneducated — who may struggle to procure their parents’ documents.”
She alleged that valid voters’ names were being arbitrarily deleted at the behest of the BJP.
“The names get cancelled at the last moment on the BJP’s instructions,” she claimed.
“The EC is helping them (BJP) capture Bengal using agencies and manipulation.”
Banerjee voiced deep suspicion over the EC’s impartiality, accusing it of functioning as an extension of the Union Home Ministry. She directly targeted Home Minister Amit Shah, saying,
“Modiji is the Prime Minister. I respect the chair. But Amit Shah is running the country. The current Chief Election Commissioner was his Secretary in the Cooperation Ministry.”
Sending a strong message to political opponents and civil society, Banerjee said the TMC would be the first line of resistance against what she described as “Emergency weapons being handed to the BJP.” She urged all opposition parties to unite and reject the guidelines.
“The EC cannot act unilaterally. We live in a federal democracy. Political parties and elected governments are not bonded labourers. The EC must consult all recognised parties before implementing such sweeping changes,” she asserted.
The West Bengal Chief Minister also questioned the long-term intent behind the voter documentation drive.
“How will poor people produce their parents’ birth certificates? This is a backdoor NRC. Let the Commission come clean on its intention,” she said.
“Even in Assam, the NRC took six years and is still not accepted as a final list.”
She cited past incidents to underscore her mistrust. In February this year, she had flagged cases of duplicate voter identity cards in Bengal matching those from states like Rajasthan and Haryana. The party raised the issue with the EC, which later admitted to flaws in the electoral rolls.
“Now they ask us to provide details of booth-level workers. Why should I reveal their identities to the Commission?” she asked.
Critics across the political spectrum are beginning to echo her concerns. CPI (ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh
Kumar, warning that the current revision exercise mirrors the scale and nature of the Assam NRC, which failed to conclusively resolve citizenship disputes.
Banerjee also raised alarm over the potential detention of voters who may fail to meet the documentation criteria.
“Those who are studying or working outside must ensure their names remain on the rolls till the day of polling. I’ve been told that 100 migrant workers from Bengal have been detained in Odisha’s Cuttack. Some are held in Balasore police station. Why are these incidents happening every day?” she asked.
Urging voters to remain vigilant, Banerjee warned that disenfranchising citizens under the pretext of document verification would eventually “backfire on the BJP.” She concluded with a message of defiance, “We are not opposed to a fair revision of the voter list. But we will not allow the disenfranchisement of genuine voters through such dubious methods.”
