The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) were at loggerheads during a crucial review meeting on poll preparedness for the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections held in Kolkata on Monday.
The full bench of the commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, held meetings with political parties to review election preparations and hear their concerns.
However, tensions surfaced during the interaction with TMC leaders. State minister Chandrima Bhattacharya alleged that the CEC behaved rudely with her during the meeting. According to Bhattacharya, the CEC asked her not to shout when she raised concerns.
“He told me not to shout. How can he say this to a woman? We want to believe that the Election Commission is neutral, but the way they are behaving makes it difficult for us to continue believing in that neutrality," Bhattacharya said. She added that when the issue of adjudication was raised, the commission responded by saying that the matter had already been taken to the Supreme Court.
Sources in the Election Commission, however, gave a different version of the exchange. According to EC sources, Bhattacharya had raised her voice during the meeting, following which CEC Gyanesh Kumar asked her to calm down and said, “Madam, please tone down and give your suggestions." When adjudication was mentioned, he reportedly stated that the issue is currently sub-judice.
The incident comes at a time when relations between the TMC government and the Election Commission are at their lowest. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee is currently holding a dharna on the streets of Kolkata even as the commission’s full bench is in the city to review poll preparations.
The commission members arrived in Kolkata on Sunday night. On their way from the airport to the hotel, they were shown black flags twice by Left workers and TMC supporters. On Monday morning, when CEC Gyanesh Kumar visited the Kalighat Kali Temple to offer prayers, protesters again showed black flags, claiming their names had been deleted from the voter list and alleging irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Despite the confrontation, the meeting with political parties otherwise proceeded smoothly, with various parties placing their concerns before the commission.
TMC leaders flagged several alleged irregularities in the electoral process:
WhatsApp instructions allegedly being circulated regarding election-related processes.
Source: Politics News in news18.com, Politics Latest News, Politics News
