'Get lost' vs 'stay quiet': ECI–TMC face-off intensifies ahead of Bengal polls

The West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections will be held in two phases, scheduled for April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes for both phases will take place on May 4.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’ Brien. (Photo: ANI)

The political atmosphere in West Bengal has heated up, with a sharp showdown between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of the Assembly elections.

The row began after a Trinamool Congress delegation visited the ECI’s headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday. The delegation met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar to express the party’s grievances over the deletion of a large number of voters’ names during the recently concluded revision process.

Following the meeting, the ECI issued a statement in both Hindi and English, headlined “ECI's Straight-talk to Trinamool Congress,” on its official social media handle. In the statement, the Commission emphasized its responsibility to ensure that the upcoming two-phase Assembly elections in the state are conducted without fear, violence, intimidation, or inducement.

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"ECI's Straight-talk to Trinamool Congress. This time, the Elections in West Bengal would surely be: Fear-free, Violence-free, Intimidation-free, Inducement-free, and without any Chappa, Booth Jamming and Source Jamming,” the statement read.

The TMC was quick to respond, posting a counter-statement on its official social media handle titled “Our straight-talk to ECI.”

“Our straight talk to @ECISVEEP. This time, the Elections must be: Free from Delhi’s control. Free from political bias, Free from selective targeting, and free from double standards,” the party said.

Escalating the confrontation, the Trinamool Congress also questioned the Commission’s conduct. “Is this how a neutral constitutional body is expected to behave?” the party asked, adding in another post, “Is this how a neutral constitutional body is expected to behave? To put it bluntly: Take off your mask now!”

Amid the growing war of words, TMC MP Derek O'Brien, who was part of the delegation that met the CEC, alleged that the interaction turned abrupt and hostile.

"Today, we went to the Chief Election Commissioner. He told us 'get lost' within 7 minutes of the meeting. The meeting started at 10:02 AM and ended at 10:07 AM. When we told him that you are transferring officials, and how you would want to conduct a free and fair election? And then he said, leave from here. What I saw today is a shame. I challenge the Election Commission to release the video or audio of what happened today," ANI quoted O'Brien as saying.

However, Election Commission officials offered a different account of the meeting. According to them, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar asked Derek O'Brien to maintain decorum, stating that shouting and inappropriate behaviour are unacceptable on the Commission's premises.

The confrontation comes against the backdrop of broader allegations by the TMC, which has accused the ECI of systematically deleting 91 lakh names from the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The party has also accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of “partisan and discriminatory conduct.”

Further intensifying tensions, the TMC raised objections after the Commission removed the state’s Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, and Director General of Police (DGP) soon after announcing the two-phase poll schedule for April 23 and April 29. In addition, 483 officials in West Bengal were transferred in early April.

With tensions running high, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections are set to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4.

(With agencies' inputs)